Hey, it’s Lucy, the Ebony Chihuahua Princess of Spencerville here! Engaged in a who-dunnit with a floating shrimp in Poodle Pond, then ran the ‘Pet Island Challenge’ like a true queen, until those pesky peas! All turned out pawfectly in the end. Until our next adventure? Wags and Whiskers, Luce.

Listen to the story here

Lawks, here I was, minding my own business in Spencerville, and who should wander over but Lucy, the ebony Chihuahua princess with a thunderstorm of a spirit packed in such a toy-sized package. It’s the very reason why one should remember that diamonds do come in small, fierce packages. And by the way, that red ball of hers? Not an inch away.

There she stood, tail standing firm, button-eyes wide with a wandering sort of surety. She’d heard a buzzing about Poodle Pond and willed herself to investigate. Oh, not because someone ordered her to. Nary a cat would dare try. This was out of pure, undiluted Lucy curiosity, mind you.

Before you could yelp ‘Doggone it!’, we found ourselves faced with Spencerville’s most impawsible mystery of the day. There, the quiet waters of Poodle Pond were disrupted, not by ducks or fish, but a colossal, inflatable shrimp bobbing in the water. Some poor mutt’s dream of a seafood dinner having floated away from the Sniff ‘n’ Snack.

Her tail was a-wagging as she plopped her red ball near the water’s edge. “‘Ello then, watery interloper,” she seemed to say, decisive paw raised, monocle fastened securely. She was too much of a lady to directly inspect the rubberized seafood, a tightrope equilibrium to be maintained between the wild yonder and unbridled horror.

Peals of laughter erupted from under the old oak at East Bulldog Bay. Frodo the Shepherd had gathered a motley assembly of Spencerville’s finest to form teams for the “Pet Island Challenge” just off the bay. Today’s challenge involved pirates, foam swords and an embarrassingly unscary eyepatch. The grand prize? A mammoth ‘Fur Taco’ from the same named bistro.

Lucy surveyed the lot, one could imagine her mulling over which team would handle her royal highness’s tantrums and eccentricities. Then, imperiously, she ambled over to a group that featured one sleek greyhound, a sprightly cocker spaniel, and a fluffed-up pomeranian who looked like he’d had a tail lift. My word, the drama!

Lucy’s charisma could not be denied and soon the crowd parted—the pirate princess and her royal entourage were partaking in the contest! Battling valiantly, the team took down challenge after challenge. But peas… those peas were her downfall. Delusionally disguised as emeralds in a treasure hunt, Lucy was having none of it.

Ah well, no one said life in Spencerville was predictable—wherever did fun lie in that? But believe me, between Pupsicle Palace treats and the Woofy bakery delights, Lucy’s kingdom was a source of endless stories. Stories that are stored lovingly in the heart of Spencerville, waiting to bloom with the remembrance shared by returning owners, someday. So, pull up a chair, order a Fur Taco, and let life unfurl as ebulliently as Lucy’s swishing, black tail.

The End.