Hey Maggs,

Just another “ruff” day in Pawsburg – chased tales, lost a piece of my pirate patch in a sneezing mishap, and nearly became a conga champion. Can’t wait to share the tail-wagging tales & cuddle up at home. 🐾

Your mop-like marauder, Rocky

Listen to the story here

Okay, so there I was, all tall, white and handsome, with my dazzlingly blue eyes reflecting the morning serenity in Pawsburg, ready for another day of adventure. I mean, with the pirate-esque allure of this black patch above my right ear, I’m virtually a Husky of the High Seas. Only, the seas are the streets, and my ship… well, it’s just me with my trusty frayed rope toy, but let’s not get caught up in the technicalities.

First stop: Spitz Spire. You’d think it’s pretty chill at Spitz Spire, but no, it’s the hotspot for all the juicy town gossip. As I trotted up the way, I sidled up to Charlie who was tugging at his leash like he wanted to launch into orbit. “Rocky! Dude! You won’t believe what happened at Canine Kabobs last night!” Oh, Charlie always had the scoop, but he tends to spill his kibbles, if you catch my drift.

Sniffing around, I caught sight of my friends gathered around a newspaper flapping in the wind, stuck on a stray twig. “It says! It says that Bark Buffet is… giving away a lifetime supply of chicken and rice treats!” Harvard, the scholarly Golden Retriever, read through his fancy doggo glasses. My heart soared. Those were my favorite! But remember, I said Charlie spills his kibbles – turns out, he read the date wrong and that giveaway was ages ago. Harvard can read, sure, but dates were his nemesis. A shame really. My tail drooped enough to sweep Pawsburg’s roads clean.

Gathering my scattered dreams of endless treats, I pranced toward Newfoundland Nook to shake off the disappointment. Lo and behold, Luna the cat was lounging on a bench, tail swishing as she watched dogs try and fail at catching their own tails. “Rocky,” she purred with a smirk, “you’re looking less piratey today, more… mop-like.” I shot her a look. Cats! They think they’re just sooo sophisticated.

Next thing I know, I’m at The Pawsome Pet Pharmacy, where I can’t even step my paw inside without sneezing out loud enough to turn into Pawsburg’s next legendary bark. Legend has it a single sneeze from a Husky brings either great luck or imminent chaos. Spoiler: It’s usually chaos.

Which leads me to the midday mishap at The Dapper Dog Salon. Yup, I looked in the mirror, and what I saw was not the Rocky I knew – my black patch was gone! You would’ve thought I could’ve heard a pin drop, but instead, my ears bore a cacophony of canine chuckles. In the sneezing fit, half of my majestic patch had been wiped clean off. I blinked at my reflection. My pirate days were over, I was more like a Husky in a Tuxedo now. Yet Maggie would love it, I guess.

After a day’s worth of misadventures, including accidentally joining a conga line at Paw-lickin’ Pancakes convinced they were doing relay races, I strolled back home with the air of a dog who had seen too much. Life in Pawsburg was a whirlwind of sitcom-worthy escapades, which my kind-hearted Maggie would hear in full detail as she found me with half a black patch and a tuxedo-looking fur pattern, looking askance at a lemon on the floor like it personally insulted me.

“What have you been up to, Rocky?” Maggie would ask.

“Oh, the usual,” I wanted to say, if only I could speak her language. “Just living the dream in the most topsy-turvy town for dogs.” Waggling my tail, I settled into my comfy home, ready to snooze until the next day’s worth of hi-jinx and undoubtedly another comedy of errors. Pawsburgh, you unpredictable, quirky adventure land, never change.

The End.

Share This Story: