Hey family! Just wanted to let you know that I’ve been quite the hero in our story—chasing away shadows, fetching lost dreams, and spreading joy with my wagging tail. Keeping spirits high, one playful bark at a time!

Love, Chicken Nugget 🐾

It was an absolutely splendid day in Spencerville, a place where the sun always seemed to smile, and the trees gently rustled in rhythms only dogs could understand. I, Roberto “Gordon” Gau, or just Gordon to my friends, had wrapped my floppy brown ears around one of my favorite activities: a good sunbeam snooze. Now, in Spencerville, that’s a luxury that’s bountiful and requires no effort in the least.

My human family used to say I was a curmudgeon, and I suppose I must have been. Didn’t care for toys, zoomies, or the beach. Swimming? Out of the question! Yet here, oh here in Spencerville, I was a veritable king. Even in this perfect place, I kept my routine of finding the best sunspots to nap in. You’d think an old beagle like me might loosen up a bit in an afterlife paradise, but why fix what isn’t broken?

Today, as I was maneuvering around the light that draped Boxer’s Al fresco Cafe, I received a note – a rare occasion to be sure. It was a meeting request from Lexi, the basset hound. Even though she could be somewhat insistent, her company wasn’t intolerable. The short walk down Biscuit Boulevard was filled with all manner of pleasantries: butterflies playing tag, squirrels that waved jovially, and the scent of Bow Wow Burger’s delectable meats being seared.

Lexi greeted me at Fetch! Toys and Treats with her usual eager expression. “Gordon, it’s time you experienced something beyond a sunbeam and a snack!” she barked, a bit too enthusiastically for my liking.

“Is it sunny?” I inquired.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Is there a snack involved?”

“Of course,” Lexi said with a chuckle.

“Lead the way.”

She guided me out to Westie Woods, a fair distance for my leisurely gait. Although I’d rather be at home in my sunbeam, I couldn’t help but marvel at the wonders of the woods. The trees were perfectly arranged, with sunlight piercing through just enough to make the forest floor glow.

Lexi finally stopped near a tree with an enormous, knotty trunk. “Behold, Gordon!” she announced theatrically. There, nestled between the roots, was an intricately designed pink hedgehog toy. It was exactly like one from my past, from the days spent nibbling on various treats in my human family’s yard.

“Well, would you look at that?” I muttered. I hadn’t played with it in years – well, not truly played – but here, among the enchanted trees and eternal sunshine of Spencerville, something felt new.

I settled myself next to the hedgehog, giving it a tentative nudge. Sunshine, check. Snack, double-check (Lexi came prepared with some liver treats). Adventure? Not entirely against my curmudgeonly ways.

Three steps away, Lexi was already prattling on about visiting South Siberian Summit next. But for now, I was content. Here, in this mystical, divine afterlife, with old friends and memories that intertwined like vines, life was splendidly, unconditionally ‘me.’ And I had a pink hedgehog to prove it.