“Hey Mom, Spencerville’s a hoot! Canine paradise, more like. Spent the day munching scrumptious treats and scouring for the perfect chew toy at Fetch. A thunder clap rattled me, but I shook it off and romped about with Bromo and Lil Dot. Topped off the day basking in the sunset. Paws up, life’s a hound, then you nap. Hugs, Pearlie.”

Listen to the story here

I’ve always been one for rolling vistas. Wide open spaces that coax a howl from your guts or the beating heart of the city, the kind of place that hums with life around the clock. And then there is Spencerville. It ain’t like any normal town, and god knows it’s got its eccentricities. Even for a bulldog like me. When they created this place, they threw out the rulebook, and the one they wrote instead was in canine speak. Now the cock’s crow is replaced by the bark of the early risers, and every palace and castle got a fur-ridden tenants list.

This morning I woke up at Pug Palace, luxurious four-post beds specifically made for canine comfort. The sun eased over Western Husky Hill, bathing Spencerville in a light as warm as a chicken nugget, as golden as the crisp skin of an apple. Meals here ain’t Sigma-level food either – you won’t find any plain rice or undressed salad leaves. No sir, here in our restaurants like Ruff-n-Ready, every meal felt like a merry Christmas meant to satisfy those canine cravings.

I sauntered from one joint to the next, the smell of sizzled bacon and heavenly pancakes from Bark and Bites filling the air, until I reached my favorite haunt – Fetch! Toys and Treats. Seeing all those toys and squeaky bones lined up like soldiers was like spotting a rhinestone in a dustpan. The earth-toned, rugged bone, as rugged as a hungover bouncer, caught my attention. Something about that chew bone resonated with my reckless spirit.

Suddenly a dreaded noise had me reeling. Halloween pumpkin fireworks or just the thunder gods playing bowling. God, I hated those loud noises, it’s like a rock show smack in your brain when you’re just aiming for a little peace.

My heart yearned for a quiet breather, and more so for companionship of my own breed, my own kind. My friends, Tuesday, the tortie cat, my mate Bromo, the English bulldog and Lil Dot, another white bulldog like me. Heat dancing off the sand, waves ebbing at our paws or just a total simplicity of the park, we made every hangout recklessly boisterous, a whirlwind of tails and barks and purrs.

As the day waxed, and the crazy energy ebbed to lazy exhaustion, I relaxed in the backyard, soaking in the golden evening rays. Considering another day the master of my own destiny, Another day in the crazy town of Spencerville, the holy grail to the canine world. I, Pearl, the English Heatherbull Bulldog, had some stories under my collar, that’s for sure. Life was endlessly fascinating and irrevocably eccentric here. Like myself. Maybe that’s why I fit in so easily. I pondered as I rested, ready to face another day, ready to live out another tale of paws and bones. Path to the adventure that Spencerville was. Paws up! Life’s a hound, then you nap.

The End.