Homemade Lantern and Five Dogs

Somewhere in Kyoto:

I didn’t understand why some houses have the word “dog” on the door, and I asked our sensei (school teacher). She said they serve as dog licenses, telling the authority that they have that many dogs in the property. As most Japanese houses are small, usually you see only one “dog,” and occasionally two, or three. Five is definitely rare.

It’s only tonight when I scanned the film that I noticed that the lantern covering is homemade and obviously done by a kid. The front picture with the green (tree? bamboo?) has the words, “peace at home.” The other side has either an ogre (monster) or may be it’s the child’s impression of their father. An unsolved mystery.