Hey Mom,

Just a quick update from your big-hearted ‘Zaneyboy’. Turns out I’m a sort of holiday hero here! Helped my elf pal Ollie rediscover Christmas joy in a city that’s more hustle than holly. From Operation Tinsel Tangle to singing along with Yuletide carols, I’ve been weaving festive cheer into every corner of this urban jungle. Spoiler: I might have a knack for storytelling too! Don’t worry, I’m keeping my snout clean and dreaming of home. City lights are bright, but they’ve got nothing on our Spencerville stars. Can’t wait for snuggles and storytime soon!

Love,
Zane 🐾🎄

Listen to the story here

I trotted into the gleaming city, my buddy—the one with the pointy ears and perpetually cheerful disposition—perched jauntily on my back. “You ready for this, Zane?” Ollie, the elf in question, had the kind of excitement usually reserved for fresh snow on Christmas Eve.

“You bet,” I rumbled, my voice echoing off the towering buildings like growls of a bear, if a bear wore a festive collar and had a taste for fine leather chews.

Spencerville was a dream, a paradise of puppy parties and endless fields tailor-made for frolics and somersaults, but the Big City? It was new turf, unknown scents—challenging even for a seasoned Mastiff like myself. You see, us city slickers… er… non-slickers had to put on brave snouts in the face of honking traffic and stampedes of feet that made Retriever River rapids seem like a lazy creek.

We were here on a mission: to help Ollie find the joy of Christmas he’d misplaced amongst spreadsheets and email inboxes. His family, elves of distinction themselves, had lost touch with the true spirit of the holidays, snowed under by modern hustle and corporate bustle.

Our trajectory? Straight through the glittery heart of the concrete jungle itself. Probably not the most comfortable place for either of us, considering my aversion to noise and his inclination to carry on conversations with snow globes.

“Here’s the plan,” Ollie chirped, flapping a list that rivaled my Kong ball for length and importance, “We spread some good old North Pole cheer, remind these city folks what they’re missing out on, and find that lost Christmas joy!”

Ah, easier barked than done. But much like I’d watch Lucee bat a bauble under the sofa, I’d go belly-deep into the unknown for my friends.

The first step in our holiday escapade? Operation Tinsel Tangle. A laugh riot, really, if you fancy yourself as a giant dog attempting to navigate the ornaments aisle of a department store—imagine Labyrinth, but with more sparkly things and panicked employees.

“Let’s light this place up like Rudolph’s nose on overtime,” Ollie sang out, entrancing receivers of holiday merriment with his irrepressible enthusiasm, tossing garlands and spin-dancing with tinsel as if auditioning for ‘Dancing with the Christmas Stars.’

Truth be told, I missed the soothing tides of Spotted Red Beagle Beach, but the glint in Ollie’s eyes as he rekindled festive warmth in the hearts of jaded city-dwellers was worth every squished paw and squirt of public-transportation musk on my once pristine coat.

Situations escalated, of course. Minor escapades involving mistaken identities (turns out a massive dog in a Santa hat is a magnet for misadventures). Then there was the “silent night” sleepover in a toy store that was about as silent as a machine gun wrapped in bubble wrap.

Ollie’s family reconnected, bit by bit, their hearts thawing to a soundtrack of my sonorous barks harmonizing with Yuletide tunes bubbled out from hidden speakers. Who knew an English Mastiff could carry a tune? Definitely not me.

And as the holidays swirled in, a magical hush (it probably wasn’t that hushed, to others) settled over the city, I could almost hear the Whisker Winds of Cream Maltese Meadow whispering sweet tales of leisure.

We’d done it. Ollie, his family, and I — we revisited those cradle-held memories when Christmas wasn’t about rushing but rather about hearts connecting, hot cocoa steaming, and lives intertwining like strands of well-worn holiday lights.

In the end, they found joy, not wrapped in shiny paper or hidden in a stocking, but in each other’s company. And me? I found out that even the most storied Mastiff can do more than guard hearths and chew on treasured Kongs.

With my mission in this dizzying realm of chilled winds and steel forests at a close, I knew somewhere beyond the neon glow, Spencerville was calling me back to a reality known only to pets and the humans who whispered our legends.

But, as I nestled down on a makeshift bed of coats in the corner—it was alright. Because this gentle giant knew one day, I’d be back on sandy shores. And until then, I had stories to collect, elves to assist, and city lights to shine just a little bit brighter—all in the spirit of Christmas.

The End.