But for one Texas high school student, it's the truth.
And for eating that homework, her dog ended up in the hospital.
Last week, Reagan Hardin, a sophomore at Magnolia West High School in Magnolia, Texas, was working on her AP history homework assignment. It was a model of a Middle Ages farm manor that included plastic farm animals, grass, wood, metal wire fencing and model structures.
When no one was looking, Reagan's five-year-old mixed-breed dog, Roscoe, ripped up the model and ate a good portion of it.
When Roscoe's family discovered the torn up project, they rushed him to the emergency vet.
Sure enough, an X-ray showed his stomach was full of homework parts.
Internal medicine veterinarians at North Houston Veterinary Specialists in Spring used an endoscope to remove the pieces, one by one, until Roscoe's stomach was empty of all the dangerous objects.
The good news, Reagan was able to redo her homework, and her dog Roscoe is on the mend.
No word on whether Reagan's teacher believed her story when they first heard it, or if they thought she was just using an age-old excuse.