Hey there! Just wanted to give you the tail-wagging scoop on my latest adventure. I’ve been a small pup on a big mission this Christmas Eve, helping a retriever with a shiny nose become the hero we never knew we needed! Together, we saved Christmas by guiding Santa clear of a fog thicker than a bulldog’s neck. Call me JayJay, the furball of friendship and festive cheer! 🎄✨ #GuidingNoseSquad 🐾🔦 JayJay

Listen to the story here

The fog rolled over Spencerville like a thick, enveloping blanket, concealing the twinkling lights of Shepherd Skyline and muting the distant laughter from Brown Boxer Beach. ‘Twas the night of rejoice and merriment, but in the heart of one Shih Tzu, a little black and white fellow by the name of JayJay, there was a quiet, almost wistful anticipation.

You see, JayJay’s days were usually filled with chasing the wind through the streets, the glory of a well-cooked meal from Waggle n’ Wok lingering on his palate, and the comfort of friendship in every corner of this nearly perfect town. But tonight was different. Tonight, Spencerville was preparing for the grandest of celebrations, and each soul was busy with festive cheer – each but one, a young retriever with a nose that shone brighter than the baubles in Bark and Bites window display.

As I trotted down the cobblestoned path, my lambchop toy clutched firmly in my jaw, the festive air was dampened only by whispers about the glowing-nosed retriever left to wander alone. I remember thinking, it is indeed a curious world where oddities are singled out rather than celebrated.

Approaching Upper Black Bulldog Bay, the fog was relentless, swallowing entire stories of buildings whole. Even the lighthouse, with its beacon of hope, appeared to struggle against the gloom. It was on the pier that I found him, that retriever, his nose an odd beacon in the haze.

“Mind if I join you?” I asked, as polite as you’d expect from someone of my small but proud stature.

He glanced over, his eyes a mix of surprise and relief. “Sure,” he barked softly, almost resigned.

I sat beside him, the toy forgotten as we watched the lighthouse fail to pierce the increasing fog.

“Seems like the weather’s played a cruel joke on us this Christmas Eve,” I remarked, a statement more than a whim. “But what do I know? I’m but a small dog with a big heart, not a sailor to read the mists.”

The retriever chuckled, his tail thumping weakly. But then, he sighed, looking to the ground. “I just wish I could be part of things. You know, without… this.” He pointed to his incandescent nose.

“You, my friend, are a beacon,” I stated firmly, my usual playful tone now firm with conviction. “Why, if we were out at sea, you’d be a hero, guiding us through this soupy night.”

He looked at me, somewhat puzzled, perhaps unaccustomed to encouragement.

That’s when it happened, the distant sound of bells and a deep, hearty chuckle rolling through the fog. The big man himself, legend of legends, his sleigh clearly in distress, its usual guiding light swallowed by Spencerville’s dense fog.

Without a second thought, I barked at the retriever, “Now’s your chance! You’re the guiding light Santa needs!”

The realization dawned on him, and with a spark of newfound purpose, he bounded toward the sound, his glowing nose piercing through the night. I followed, barking encouragement that, I’m sure, spurred him on faster than his four legs could carry him.

As the great crimson-suited man came into view, grounded by the opaque haze, he looked in dire need of assistance. “Ho, ho, hold up!” I howled with enthusiasm. “We’ve got your guiding light right here!”

The retriever shone, literally, and there it was – his grand moment. He led with pride, nose aflame with glowing splendor, leading the sleigh into the night. The fog that once dampened the spirits of us and shrouded the town was now a mere backdrop to the brilliant display of this once-outcast retriever.

From that night on, the tale of the retriever with the glowing nose was legendary. From the humble corners of The Groom Room to the bustling tables at Pup ‘n’ Go Taco Joint, they spoke of how he guided Santa’s sleigh, of the bright light that had once been the cause of ridicule, now the beacon of hope and deliverance.

As for me, JayJay, the spirited Shih Tzu with a stomach for culinary delights and a heart brimming with love, I found kinship with the retriever whose light had shone the brightest when all other lights had failed. We all need a guiding nose in the fog sometimes, don’t we? And there, in the splendor of Spencerville, we found life’s beauty, not in the glaring light of day, but in the glistening nose under a blanket of Christmas Eve fog.

The End.