Hey there, it’s me, Apple. Just wanted to share a quick tail-wagging update from my latest adventure in Pawsburgh. Found my holiday cheer, thanks to a dapper Yorkie named Ruffles. No more solo doggy-daydreaming; it’s all festive frolics and potential romance under the mistletoe now. Seems this pup’s about to have her day in more ways than one. 🎄❤️🐾

Yours whimsically,
Apple 🍎

Listen to the story here

It started on an otherwise uneventful Monday evening, the kind where the human world outside hummed with festive carols, twining the scent of evergreen and the warm decadence of roasting chestnuts through the crisp winter air. But as they say in the canine canon – when the humans are away, the dogs will most definitely play. And that’s precisely what I intended to do.

The clandestine twilight whisked me away to Pawsburgh, where the Jade Jack Russell Junction glittered beneath a canopy of fairy lights. The sound of clinking dog bowls filled the air, a harmony to the soft thud of my paw-steps on the cobblestone. The holiday spirit was a tangible thing here, hanging as heavily as the velvet curtains in The Pampered Pooch Salon.

I lingered at Paw-tisserie’s window, my breath fogging up the glass as I marveled at the mounds of mutt macarons and spaniel scones. Next door, Collie’s Cuisine promised a blend of seasonal flavors and I almost—almost—diverted from my path for a taste of their famous beef wellington, before remembering my mission.

Newfoundland Nook was my destination. They said a canine soiree awaited there, one where lonely hearts like mine sought companionship in the amber hue of celebratory toasts. And me? With my pedigree and pluck, I was no stranger to the social swirl. But the seclusion of my country abode had turned my bark into a whisper, my growl into a hum – companionship was a novelty I seldom indulged in anymore.

Upon arrival, a melody of welcoming yips and yaps greeted me. The opulent Great Dane doorman, enrobed in a seasonal red ruff, nodded as he granted me access. A room of velvet draped chairs and garlands embroidered with golden threads sprawled before my eyes. I eyed a Pomeranian swirling what looked to be a miniature martini and chuckled. Only in Pawsburgh.

Setting my sturdy stance near a fireplace ablaze, the warmth of flickering flames caressed my fur and I let out a contented sigh. The conversation bubbled around me like a pot left on the holiday stove – effervescent and spiced with excitement.

“Pardon, is this seat taken?” The voice was smooth as freshly churned butter, suave with the confidence only ruffled terriers can muster.

Turning my head, I caught sight of a dashing Yorkie. If I had been wearing a hat, I’d have tipped it.

“Free as the last leaf before winter’s first frost,” I replied, my tone matching his light jest.

He nestled beside me, introducing himself as Ruffles. Soon enough, we found easy comfort sharing tales of past escapades. He, enraptured by my travelogue of chew toy conquests, and I, intrigued by his recounting of tail chases at Pup’s Poutine.

As time slipped unnoticed like a treat from the table, I realized loneliness had been but a stray thought, a temporary guest. Ruffles’ company sparked a hidden ember within my bulldogged heart and ignited it into a festive flame.

And when he leaned in, his whiskers tickling my ear, he whispered an invite to Happy Hounds Dog Walking for a midnight jaunt, I knew the holidays had wrapped me in unexpected warmth. We would share our stories beneath the celestial gaze, our paws pressing into the frosted undulations of the secretive Pawsburgh paths.

Ah, this holiday, I thought as we tromped off to stretch our legs under the alabaster moonlight, is bound to unfurl a spool of memories as sweet as my namesake fruit. Ruffles and I may have been but two wandering souls, but tonight, Pawsburgh cradled us in the tender fold of newfound friendship, and perhaps if the stars favored us, the subtle whisper of romance.

And you, my dear human, should be joyful, for your Apple is truly relishing life’s orchard, plucking its moments one by one with the zest of newfound holiday camaraderie.

The End.