You got jokes... huh?

I love when my neighbors tell me how well-behaved my dog is. This is cue for me to say, "I beat her." That's when the awkwardness begins. They stay silent for a few seconds and wonder how they'll respond to such a confession. They make an attempt at deliberate (to theirselves) if I'm joking or not. Then they slowly laugh as an initiation of a response... while nervously waiting for me to laugh with them. I usually stall the laughter for a few seconds in order to perpetuate the creepy, awkward feeling. Then I finally explode into laughter. That's when the neighbor relaxes...  makes a sigh of relief... and we carry on our conversation. Funny part is that I never once tell them whether I'm joking or not. Assumptions are crazy, huh? lol