Painted Turtle

 If you remember I went to the post office's Passport Event July 15th.  They took my picture, added their paperwork to mine, and clipped on a copy of my birth certificate and old passport.  I said I would let people know how long it took before my new passport arrived.  Don't get excited.  Today I got an e-mail from the government passport agency.  Before opening anything on it I checked on-line to see if the U.S. passport agency ever sent out e-mails and found they do - followed up by a mailed letter.  OK.  Opened the letter.  They thanked me for my request (not sure why) and stated they could not continue processing my passport unless they had a signed statement from me on why my old passport was so mutilated.  If I didn't send an explanation within 90 days they would stop processing my passport request.  How odd!  What possible difference would what happened to my old passport make to my getting a new passport?  They had in-hand my half eaten one along w/ the paperwork and I had explained to two different people at the post office what had happened to it.  I have found, however, it's easier when dealing w/ government agencies to just give them what they want.  I wrote a business styled letter  stating that my dog, a black lab and collie mix, found the passport on a bench where I'd left it and used it as a chew toy.  The dog fortunately suffered no ill effects but the passport didn't survive.  I signed it, included a copy of their letter and mailed it.  Hopefully, they won't check on my dog's parentage - Indy was part black lab but never knew what else.