Yo 🐾!

Aliens dropped in Pawsburgh today! Led the pack with tails waggin’ & noses sniffin’, turned a close encounter into a pawty. Saved the town, made some galactic buddies. Just another day in the life of Tiny, the small pup with the big heart! #PawsburghProtector 🛸✨

– Tiny Titan

Like any other day in Pawsburgh, it began with the muted clinks and clatters of dog tags jostling as the citizens of our fine four-legged town made their way to their favorite spots. I, Tiny, was no exception. My morning stretched past the stroke of noon – blame the sunbeams that held me captive in their warm embrace a tad longer than usual.

You see, the daylight hours in Pawsburgh gleamed brighter than the polished sheen on a bone fresh from the butcher’s. But let’s not dilly-dally upon the daybreak, for our tale starts with an occurrence most peculiar.

I was making my quaint promenade to Chihuahua’s Chimichangas, salivating in thought over a peanut butter concoction that suited my discerning palate when I caught a shimmer out of the corner of my eye — something uncharacteristically metallic against the cerulean Pawsburgh sky.

“Probably the Shepherds flinging their Frisbees again,” I surmised, undeterred, aiming my snout toward an unwitting patch of soil to leave my signature scent.

But upon my arrival at Chihuahua’s Chimichangas, something felt amiss. The air crackled with unrest; a stillness fell upon Cocker Courtyard, a hush over Newfoundland Nook. Gazing up, I noted a fleet of oddly-shaped Frisbees – not of Shepherd origin – landing upon Pyrenean Peak.

A huddle formed outside of Sniffer’s Sandwiches as we nosed our suspicions. “An alien invasion,” whispered the Golden Lab through breaths of excitement and fear, his boisterous bark subdued by concern.

“Aliens?” I ejaculated with a skeptic’s furrowed brow. “Poppycock and piffle. Certainly, some prankster’s idea of a jape.”

But the Terrier’s infectious spirit was replaced by a shiver small enough to miss if you weren’t looking closely. We resolved to investigate, our canine curiosity overcoming trepidation.

As the motley pack made haste towards the peak, I pondered our approach. Pale paws pad in unison, a thunderous march disguised in soft treads as we faced the unknown. Upon arrival, the objects lay quietly – an eerie silence hung in the air like a stick suspended mid-throw. I dared to move closer, my scruffy coat bristling in the wind that seemed suddenly chilled.

The silence popped with a sudden hiss, and from the vessels emerged creatures so peculiar, so unlike any squirrel or cat we’d ever pursued, that the pack felt a collective shudder ripple through our ranks.

The creatures blinked their bulbous eyes, adjusting to their surroundings. I found my tail indignantly stuck between my legs, a rare occurrence for a dog of my usual bravado. Yet, as we exchanged wary glances, I realized that hiding our tails wouldn’t save our tails.

Thus, with a courage mustered from the depths of my small yet stouthearted chest, I stepped forth, my vocals rehearsed for diplomacy, “Greetings. I am Tiny, emissary of Pawsburgh. We welcome you, uh, should your intentions be as benign as our demeanor.”

A bizarre sequence of chirps and whistles emanated from the extraterrestrial assemblage. The Meadowlarks would have been envious. To our astonishment, the creatures mimicked my gesture, extending limb-like appendages in peace – or was it submission?

The stand-off crumbled into confusion. The pack’s tenseness eased, aided by my reassuring glances. A conference by the Pampered Pooch Salon ensued, breaking out in huddles and woofs.

Cautiously we introduced the aliens to the splendors of Pawsburgh – Canine Café’s best dishes (sans citrus, naturally), the joyous chaos of Doggie Daycare. Their foreign tongues tasted our dogged delights; an interspecies exchange sweetened by the universal language of play.

As the visiting hour waned, the furry citizenry of Pawsburgh found themselves less the wary defenders, and more the gracious hosts to these intergalactic wanderers. Adventures bound in the tales of Pawsburgh lore, seasoned now with an off-planet twist. With furrowed brows relaxing into smiles and the once delicate dance becoming a spirited romp, we watched the sky reclaim its peculiar guests, their silhouettes fading into the stars.

Truth told, it’s just another sunset on the quaint streets of Pawsburgh, but with one more tale for the storied halls of The Doggy Depot to convey. For in the day of an ordinary ‘Tiny’, is sown the seeds of legends not so diminutive after all.

The End.