Hey Mom,

Just cracked another case in Spencerville! Turns out the missing masterpiece was swiped by Millie in a moment of envy, but no worries, I sniffed out the truth and returned the loot, justice served à la Tanner style. All in a day’s work for your son, the Pet Detective. Tell Dad and the pups I’m on the tail of peace… till the next adventure sniffs me out!

Paws and kisses,
Tanner 🐾 Detective Extraordinaire

Listen to the story here

I remember the moment the sun cast its first light over Siberian Summit in Spencerville, and the peculiar scent of adventure wafted on the breeze that rustled the green fronds of Westie Woods. With my paws firmly planted on the cool ground, I, Tanner, adjusted my imaginary deerstalker hat, a curious blend of Sherlock Holmes and canine intuition.

I was lounging on the outside deck of The Bone Appetit, where I had just partaken in a breakfast that paid homage to my cheese predilection. The faint echo of Millie’s bark filled the air; she favored early trots, and the aroma was unmistakable — toast, bacon, and strawberry jam. It’s a wonder I could pick up anything over the decadent smell of K9 Kebabs preparing for the lunch crowd.

But then, a silent plea pierced through the tranquility. I perked up my ears, the ones that flopped over like unturned pages eager to be read, and my nose, which had been pointed toward the heavens in serene reflection, twitched. A whiff of distress, and I knew someone’s day in Spencerville was veering off script.

It’s a curious burden, knowing. Knowing means you can’t ignore, and I, Tanner, can never turn a blind eye when a four-legged soul here is in need. I looked to my side, where Fat Russell was snoring gently, an antithesis to what the morning was about to become.

As I approached the Furry Friends Art Gallery, a crowd had already gathered, their whimpers and whines composed a symphony of concern. It was The Pampered Pooch Salon’s scene that unfolded before me. Lilly was there, her eyes a mix of worry and pride as she caught sight of me. My father, Spencer, Mayor and Pug Extraordinaire, stood beside her hoofing his paw in ponderous motions.

“You see it, don’t you?” Lilly voiced, her glance cutting through the murmurs like a sleek terrier through tall grass.

Before us, was the gallery window. Shattered, and as I observed, venomously void of the crown jewel of their latest exhibition: “The Mona Lisa,” a painting renowned across all the shops and eateries of Spencerville.

The gasps could have swelled sails. “Not the Mona!” came the whispers, the declaration of its disappearance now confirmed.

Nose to the ground, I marched toward the window, my eyes skimming the freshly tidied tiles for clues. I found none, a testament to the thief’s finesse. But then, a flash of color caught my eye — not the enigmatic smile of Mona, but a tuft of fur, sable and white, stuck to a shard of glass.

“Ah-ha,” my heart leaped. That fur could belong to a spaniel, but there was only one spaniel who had the envy to commit such a crime. Envy, that sinewy, green tendril that could make the noblest of breeds commit the pettiest of thieveries.

“Millie,” I declared with aplomb. The gathered crowd gasped, and I relished the sound as much as my loathed ear cleanings.

“But Tanner, Millie is your friend,” Spencer protested. I couldn’t let personal bonds distort the clarity of justice.

“Observe,” I said, striding to The Tail Wagger’s Tailor, where I nudged the door open. Inside, next to a nest of fancy collars and silken kerchiefs, lay the retired treasure. And beside it, in the grip of a greedy slumber, laid Millie, the evidence nestled against her chest.

The crowd erupted in disbelief, but as a detective, loyalty to the truth trumped friendship. After all, Spencerville may be near perfection, but its inhabitants remain, charmingly, fallibly canine.

As the resolution settled, and the painting was returned, I would gently approach Millie and awaken her with a gesture of forgiveness. For in Spencerville, even when mysteries are afoot, the foundation of our society is understanding and the deep-seated knowledge that one day we would once again frolic with those we yearn for in the fields beneath the endless skies.

Such is life here, in Spencerville, under my watchful eye, Tanner: Pet Detective. And until the next mystery calls, I would continue my leisurely pursuits among loved ones, a dog just as enamored with peace as with the thrill of the chase.

The End.