Hey Mom,

Just a quick update from your vigilante pup Batman! Today, I honed my empathy skills, helped Bubba with drool issues, and saved Miss Whiskers’ day with a bow tie fix. Being ‘Good Pet’ is my quest—bark by bark, tail wag by tail wag. Spencerville’s never been brighter, and my heart’s wagging for our reunion.

Fur-ever yours,
Bat 🦇🐾

It’s a rare morning in Spencerville when the air doesn’t smell like bacon from Dog-gone Good BBQ or isn’t filled with the tuneful dings from The Barking Boutique, setting the stage for another sprawling day in the tail-wagging oasis. Call me Batman—the vigilant watcher of Collie Canyon, the chaser of shadows in Bulldog Bay.

Ah, Spencerville—the Valhalla, the very Elysium for pets, except here, we’re no shades, we’re as vibrant as the stripes on my back. But stripes or no, perfection isn’t a breed standard around here, and I’ve got my work cut out for me. Improvement, the very hustle and bustle of an afterlife dog. It’s a nudge, or rather a friendly bark, urging us to become greater, if not for our own treat, then in anticipation of that sweet reunion—a “Good Pet.”

The saga of a canine quest to be better, it unfurls day by day. Speaking of quests, I’m no lone ranger here—by my side is an accomplice in felinity, a cat whose name eludes even the gossiping parrots of the East Pug Palace. A sidekick, someone once said. I say counterbalance.

Today, the task is empathy. You know, putting yourself in someone else’s paws, seeing the world through their whiskers—though not literally. I’ve tried. It tickles.

The plan was simple: go on about my day, mind the feline partner, and extend a paw wherever possible. So there I was on a bench outside The Barkery, soaking in a noon sunbeam—one of those Spencerville specials that seem tailored just for you—when it occurred to me. Empathy begins with understanding, and understanding begins with—well, with a hello and a sniff.

Opportunity trotted up in the form of Bubba, who sagged under the weight of his St. Bernard sorrows.

“Bubba,” I barked, a greeting that rippled with more curiosity than a squirrel encounter, “You look like you’ve lost your last bone. What’s gnawing at you?”

Bubba lumbered closer, his sigh a whisper of fog in the sunlight. “It’s the pup,” he lamented. “I just can’t seem to teach him the finer points of drool management.”

I chuckled, a quick chortle that belied understanding. “Let’s wing over to the Pooch Playhouse. They’ve got dribble-catchers, slobber-soppers, the works.”

Bubba’s gratitude could have filled Bulldog Bay twice over.

The afternoon waltzed in on the scent of pup-peroni, and the next test of my ‘Good Pet’ campaign presented itself as the bell of The Tail Wagger’s Tailor jingled my focus away. Miss Whiskers—no relation to the sidekick cat—was in a tizzy about the new bow tie for Sir Pugglesworth. It was absolutely, paws-down, urgent it be converted from ‘stiff upper lip’ to ‘frivolous entertainer’ for the Great Dane Gala by tonight.

“Miss Whiskers,” I offered, a reassuring wag in my voice. “Consider it handled with all the finesse of a Boxer balancing on a ball.”

The tiny bout of laughter from Miss Whiskers, as warm as a heated blanket on a cold day, confirmed my words found their mark. It’s amazing, empathy. It fits like a well-tailored sweater.

As the evening tugged in, the stars of Spencerville blinked on, like patrons in the night sky’s restaurant placing their orders for dreams. I lay there, the feline philosopher by my side, contemplating empathy with a purr of contentment—the gentle kneading at the dough of thoughts and feelings, understanding each ingredient of interaction makes for a better tomorrow.

The epitome of a ‘Good Pet’? I’m chasing it, beneath the wink of fireflies that light the way. Day by day, bark by bark. Not just for the sake of being good, but for the day all this goodness leads me back into the arms of a family that waved goodbye just too soon.

So remember, whether in Spencerville or anywhere else, strive to be a ‘Good Pet.’ Not because we have to, but because it makes the wait worth every single pet-worthy moment.

The End.

Share This Story: