Hey, 🌟 of Pawsburg,

Just thwarted a holiday heist here at the kennel! Deployed toys and tripped alarms with ninja finesse to save our furry friends. All in a night’s work for Sadie the Red, Pawsburg’s guardian. Hope you’re out there making spirits bright, ’cause I’m keeping tails wagging safe and sound. 😉

🐾 Sadie the Valiant

Listen to the story here

Ah, I remember it as if it were yesterday, the misadventure that had my tails spinning more tales than the old Great Dane’s marathon sessions under the oak. The air was crisp with a wintery nip, and the town of Pawsburg was aglow with holiday cheer, sparkling brighter than a collar clad in rhinestones.

I, Sadie, the Red Heeler with eyes like defrosting amber, found myself in charge of the kennel at the prudent corner of Harrier Harbor, as my dear human was off sprinkling flour somewhere without me. On a normal day, I’d jaunt to Pup’s Parfait, sashay my way through Pearl Papillon Promenade, or indulge in the crunchy delights of carrot sticks at Mutt Munchies. But this was no normal day.

The kennel, a sanctuary for Pawburgh’s purveyors of playfulness, was mine to defend. As the sun dipped behind the shops at Happy Hounds Dog Walking, casting long shadows across the cobblestones, I sensed something afoot—afoot and not fitted with a paw. A pair of holiday hoodlums had hawk-eyes set on our haven.

They were an odd pair, one bumbling and broad-legged, the other slim and skittering, much like the two-legged counterparts that attempted to run Pawsburgh’s night errands. “Dogs home alone,” one of them muttered to the other, “easy as taking a treat from a puppy.”

They unmistakably underestimated the four-legged force they were about to face.

Imagine my surprise when the lock clicked. Not with a key, mind you, but with a misguided sense of skill from one of those intruders. I must admit, a more demure dog might have whimpered or hidden. But I, Sadie the undaunted, readied myself with the stealth of a feline. Disgraceful comparison, I know.

“A kennel break-in on the Eve of Good Cheer,” I mused, ear perked, tail ticking with the intensity of a metronome hyped on espresso. “Only in Pawsburg.”

I remembered the words of a broad-nosed Bulldog with the wiles of an escape artist. “The best defense,” he had said, “is a well-placed wagging tail.” And so, with that, I devised my plan.

The first attempt was to test their mettle. They weren’t sharp enough to close the door behind them, which suited my purpose just fine. The slightest breeze, a gift from the open door, caught a collection of chew toys set precariously high upon a shelf. With a flick of my nose—a deflection here, a tumble there—the toys cascaded down. The intruders jumped out of their skins, which was, all considering, an improvement in attire.

As they composed themselves, I watched from the shadows beneath a counter, my coat blending seamlessly with the dust bunnies and lost leashes. The broad one eyed a row of luxury dog beds, no doubt inferring the canine clientele here were of refined taste. He moved to pilfer a particularly plush one.

Timing was everything. I bolted forward, tripping a sensor for an electronic toy I had strategically repositioned. The toy, a synthetic squirrel of indecent volume, erupted with pre-recorded screeches, and the man’s nerve broke like a cheap leash.

“Blazes!” he wailed, crashing into Whippet Wraps standee, sending a tornado of colorful collars dancing in the artificial light. The skinnier one, disoriented, stumbled backward into a display of designer water bowls, each sloshing over with more drama than a Pawsburg pageant finale.

With the accuracy of a distinguished marksman, or should I say, barksmith, I let loose a hearty “Bark! Bark! Bark!”—the cadence crisp and clear as the night air outside. Lights snapped on from across the street at The Pampered Pooch Salon as the pair scrambled, their composure shredded to ribbons finer than those at Pet Partners Pet Supplies.

And there I sat among the chaos, each intruder exiting with less grace than a cat on a hot tin roof. A dignified dog, I returned to my appointed sentinel spot with the satisfaction of a job well done.

When my human returned, none the wiser, the tales of that night were already legend. Pawsburg, oh Pawsburg, I hummed within, never a dull moment in this magical town.

And that, my friend, is how yours truly, Sadie, secured a badge of honor, a tale for the ages, and the most savory of carrot sticks as a reward.

The End.