Hey 👋 Just wanted to paws and give you the tail-wagger of a tale that’s been my day! Guarding Weimaraner Woods from a UFO intrusion turned out to be more playful than perilous – think toys from the stars, not space invaders! Mr. Jensen’s gonna flip when he hears this. Galactic bark-out to my fellow Pawsburghians for turning fears into frolic. Maybe bravery is just chasing the unknown, tail held high. 🐾🛸

Catch you on the furry flip side,
Annie 🐕✨

Listen to the story here

It was a day that started quite ordinarily in Pawsburgh; the kind of day that sits in your memory like a comfortable old sofa – familiar, snug, and entirely without pretension. For me, Annie, the regal Black Doberman of Weimaraner Woods, things like UFOs and extraterrestrial shenanigans seemed more improbable than a cat managing a smile.

I set out that morning with the sun tickling my fur, bound for Opal Pomeranian Park. The lure of Mr. Jensen’s tender chicken treats in my belly was a melody playing in concert with my heartbeat. Near Mr. Jensen’s, the world smelled right – a tapestry of scents, each woven neatly into its own place.

But as I trotted past The Tail Wagger’s Tailor, something in the air twitched. The scents weren’t singing quite as they should. Tailors stopped their stitching, bow-wow-wows replacing their usual hum of whispers. A curious sort of hush settled in, the kind that seems to clear the stage for something, or someone, to say their piece.

I hadn’t rung the alarm bell in my life before, considering such drama a bit below one’s dignity. But, as I stood there in the patchwork shadow of The Barking Boutique’s awning, I felt the distinct nudge of adventure poke at my ribs. Turning my gaze skyward, I saw it – a shiny thing looming like a poorly tossed Frisbee that had forgotten the ground was where it ought to land.

I’d always considered myself a brave soul, a descriptor echoing in the whispers of Pawsburgh residents. But let’s be honest, courage only really matters when there’s something to be courageous about. And, paw over paw, something indeed was pressing down from the blue above.

Sprinting towards Terrier Town, emboldened by the curious stares of my fellow canines, I saw Max, the Beagle, and Bella, the Greyhound, heads thrown back and eyes wide. Louie, the little Dachshund, was sounding off the alarms with a bark not coincidentally mirroring the panicked rhythm of my own heartbeat.

“There’s something fishy, and not the good kind!” Max howled, his eyes tracing the unnatural arc of the object. “More next-worldly than Pawsburgh peachy.”

“It’s simply not plausible,” Bella chimed, ever the rationalist. “But, then again, neither is a town inhabited solely by dogs, and yet here we all are.”

Louie buzzed around their feet, barking out orders as though his stature had no say in his authority. I had to admire the chap’s spirit.

So, there we stood, the United Nations of Pawsburgh, gazing at the sky as the strange ship descended. It seemed the moment to assert one’s bravery had come, or perhaps to simply roll over and submit to a belly rub by whatever alien being was about to emerge.

But as the ship neared, a hatch opened, and from inside, an ample supply of what appeared to be… toys? Yes, shadows of toys. Unfamiliar and alluring, they spilled out, dancing and bouncing like the very ones I’d chase along our walls at dawn. Could it be? Our fears had been misplaced – these were not invaders; they were intergalactic philanthropists!

The park erupted in a joyous bedlam of barks and howls, everyone partaking in the celestial bounty. I couldn’t help but laugh, realizing that even for dogs like us, the universe had just expanded a bit more.

As I chased a particularly enticing shadow, I wondered if they, too, had dogs back home, romping through their equivalent of Weimaraner Woods, or sneezing at the sting of citrus. I carried my new cosmic toy back to Mr. Jensen, eager to see his face light up with stories of interstellar doggy delight.

And in that moment, it occurred to me – adventure doesn’t always come barking up your tree. Sometimes it just gently falls from the sky, in forms and shapes of shadows, waiting to be chased.

The End.