Hey Mom and Dad, it’s Leia! 😄🐾 Got a furry fable for you: I’ve been mistakenly nabbed for pilfering treats in Pawsburgh! Yeah, I drooled over those Beggin’ Bitz, but swipe ’em? Never! Stuck in doggy detainment under Chief Snarlington’s watchful eye 👀, but fear not! I’m plotting a grand escape tonight under the stars. A true Leian adventure! Paws crossed, I’ll clear my name and wag my way back to your loving arms. No more jailhouse kibble for me. 🗝️🏃‍♀️💨 Freedom, here I come! Love, Baby Cakes 🍰✨

There I was, ensnared in the most improbable pincer of fate in Pawsburgh. Imagine me, Leia, the lively soul with a penchant for car rides and disdain for the loud, dust-hungry ogre they call a vacuum, caged! Wrongfully accused of pilfering the legendary Beggin’ Bitz from Hound’s Hotdogs, no less—would a dog of my upstanding character really do such a thing? My tail drooped at the thought.

I mean, admittedly, my sniffer’s buds had danced at the scent wafting on Amber Akita Alley, and perhaps, just perhaps, my paws paused a heartbeat longer than usual outside the eatery—it’s not a crime to dream, is it?

But to snatch? I think not.

Ah, but truth is a chew toy in the jaws of misperception. And here I was, an innocent in the holding pen of Onyx Otterhound Oasis’ most unforgiving keeper, Chief Snarlington, a Bulldog with a face like unfulfilled promises and the humor of a starving flea.

I gazed at my temporary bunkmates who had their own sob stories. “Hard to believe, isn’t it?” I mumbled to a scruffy Terrier mix who eyed me with the sagacity of one who’s seen his share of dog days.

“You speakin’ to me, kid?” he rasped. “Hard to believe you’d even know what a proper caper looked like.”

I ignored him. I had a plan.

Each day, I nosed up to the bars, keeping watch for an opportunity. And then, one was there, wagging its proverbial tail—a mishap by the newbie guard, a Greyhound too lanky for his own limbs who’d left the key ring dangling precariously from his belt.

Freedom flirted with me from across the enclosure.

No car rides, Dad’s warm laugh, or park adventures were waiting for me if I stayed. I was better than this. I was Leia, the Black Lab German Shepherd mix with a nose for journeys and a heart for justice.

Tonight was the night. The stars twinkled like a promise above Quartz Qimmiq Quarter. With the stealth of my shepherd ancestors and the guile of a lab-taught trickster, I nudged the keys with my nose. Liberation jingled mellifluously.

A twist of my jaw, a hop, skip, and an artful dodge later, and voila, the door creaked open with the slow squeak of possibility. The scruffy Terrier watched silently, nodding his approval in that rueful, been-around-the-block way.

Through the spa with its lingering scent of lavender, I didn’t linger for a pamper—this was escape not a vacation. Past The Pawfect Training Center, where dogs learned rules; I was breaking them, after all.

The sweet scent of Paella reminded me of home dinners, minus the vegetables I so artfully avoided—ah, no sneaky peas tonight, my dear human mom! Onward, through the sleeping town, to the park—the haven of all my frolics. The chill of the night was like a splash of reality, a needed sobering splash, but beneath the moonlight, I felt the thrill of adventure coursing through my veins. My tail wagged despite the chill.

Would they believe my tale? Could they unravel the mystery of the purloined Bitz? My silent pawsteps whispered promises of proving my innocence.ilogue

The End.

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