“Hey Dad, just another day in Pawsburg! Ran some errands at Fetch, got my usual Beef & Kong at Chow Down Chow Chow & went for a swim with Zach at Retriever! Ended with a chill sesh at the Salon! P.S. I’m still the most popular cowboy in town. Talk soon, your rugged but adorable hero, Nelson!”

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You know what’s better than sleeping in on a bright, sunny Pawsburg day? Nothing, apparently, according to Nelson, my burly, English Bulldog who fancies himself the rough-edged, yet oddly adorable cowboy of this dog’s dream town. Huh, life sure tastes like vanilla ice-cream when you are Nelson!

There was no such thing as an ordinary day with Nelson around. If he’s not traipsing off to his favorite shopping spot, Fetch! Toys and Treats, he’s tugging along his best buddy, Zach, with a vigor that could rival the notorious outlaws in an old Clint Eastwood movie. Far be it from me to explain what a canine sees in a pair of worn-out shoes. But for Nelson, it’s like he’d made a gold discovery at Sutter’s Mill!

Now the Chow Down Chow Chow was the spot for lunch. Trust Nelson to know exactly where to go for the best grub in town. That spot was run by a French Poodle with a thick accent who boasted a menu that would make any tail waggle faster than a hummingbird’s wings. As we walked in, I could swear Nelson winked at the poodle, which technically shouldn’t bother me, being a dog and all, but… it kinda did. Nelson knew what he wanted, and oh boy, was he gonna get it.

“A table for two, monsieur?” Nelson barked out a reply, leading the way to his favorite corner table. Getting a seat was as hard as getting a sincere apology from my ex-boyfriend, but Nelson? He had all the luck of a horse shoe and a four-leaf clover rolled into one. “Ah, Nelson! Your usual, right?” Our friendly poodle waitress, Biscuit, chirped before heading to the kitchen.

As we waited for his Beef Bowl with a side of Kong, he gave me that look. The “Oh, you didn’t think dogs could order off a menu?” look. The rest of the meal was spent with Nelson bragging about his endeavors in Pawsburg, milking his popularity for every drop of gravy he could squeeze out of it, like a true cowboy hero.

After lunch, it was to Retriever for a swim. Yes, Nelson muttered something about a bath being the worst form of water torture, but when swimming involves his buddy Zach and a picturesque landscape? Nelson’s in!

The day ended at The Pampered Pooch Salon with Christine, our angelic vet who’d always know just what Nelson needs to wind down. A trip to the salon? All that pampering? Yeah, right! This was Nelson living his dream.

Thus concludes a day with Nelson, your everyday witty English Bulldog, living the life of an old-school hero, the star of his own sitcom, our very own Pawsburg cowboy. Is he content? Well, he still tries to up his tales during each meal, to sink his expectations of a more adventurous tomorrow. Life sure is a wild ride when you are Nelson! But hey, why wouldn’t it be? He’s Nelson, my own canine warrior navigating through the rugged terrains of Pawsburg.

The End.