Hey Dad! Just wanted to let you know that I’ve been quite the heroine lately—helping my new human friends navigate a mystery, sniffing out clues, and adding some much-needed wagging tails and laughter to their lives. Who knew a dog’s nose could be so handy? 🐾

-Lollypop

As the amber light from the sunrise trickled through the curtains, I stretched lazily on my cushy bed in the Fullerton’s living room. The sound of humans bustling about finally waned, and I knew the time had come for my clandestine journey to Pawsburg. Oh, by the way, I’m Pascal Fullerton, also known to some distinguished doggie friends as Big Dad, but you can call me by my much-cherished nickname Lollypop.

“Ready for another adventure, Lolly?” I murmured to myself, wagging my tail contemplatively as I squeezed through the doggy door. My fur—white with some dapper brown spots on my ears and at the start of my tail—gleamed in the morning light. The secret passage to Pawsburg awaited.

The second I crossed the invisible portal by the big oak, the humdrum of my human world evaporated. Pawsburg, with its bustling Amber Akita Alley, whispered promises of both mysteries and cheeseburgers. Maybe both. My sniffer quickly registered the tantalizing aroma of Pooch’s Pizzeria. Distraction is the nemesis of a sleuth, Lola, I reminded myself.

Tip-tapping my way past The Loyal Companion Photography Studio, where pampered pooches posed in artful displays, I encountered Peggy. “Lollypop!” she barked, her fur brushed to a posh sheen. “You heard about the stolen batch of Shepherd’s Shawarma seasoning?”

“Peggy, my dear,” I replied, raising an eyebrow, “details are my bread and butter—or should I say, my cheeseburgers and chew toys?” My penchant for cheeseburgers is a well-known secret.

She filled me in while we trotted towards Lhasa Lane. The puzzle growled at my curiosity. The prize seasoning, used for Shepherd’s Shawarma, hadn’t just vanished but had been nabbed on a busy weekend. If that wasn’t loony enough, the crime scene was devoid of any paw prints. Too neat. My instincts, as sharp as the toy in a tug-of-war, tingled.

Pyrenean Peak was a known hangout for sunbathers. Could the clues be drenched in sunlight? Hmm, possibilities brewed like a mystery stew.

I dug deeper with Peggy, literally and figuratively. We nosed around Shepherd’s Shawarma’s back alley. The dumpsters held the scent of spiced meat and something intriguing… A Kong chew toy? “Curious,” I muttered, “A roundabout link.”

Then it struck me, like a sudden whiff of a cheeseburger. There had to be someone or something that adored spices but ate none. I remembered the yoga-loving pooches at Paws and Reflect Yoga Studio. That’s where the dust settled.

Bounding past The Canine Coiffeur, we arrived at the yoga studio. Calm, serene, and scented with lavender—smell fragments fitting neatly into my mental puzzle. Missy, the Pekingese instructor, greeted us with her usual zen composure. “Namaste, Lollypop,” she chimed. “What brings you here on such an eventful morning?”

“Ah, Missy, just seeking inner peace—and stolen seasoning,” I replied slyly. “Any of your yoga mates unusually spicy of late?”

Missy’s eyes twinkled knowingly. “Spicy? Not here, Lollypop. But Marley, the mischief-making Maltese, he sneezed all through meditation yesterday.”

Marley! The paw-sibility was too robust to ignore. Sneaking behind meditation mats, Peggy and I discovered a stash! The Shepherd’s Shawarma seasoning, nestled among yoga props. “No paw prints at the scene because Marley’s stealth is unmatched,” I declared.

We sauntered back, savoring our triumphant discovery. Later, as I relaxed with Peggy by the Pooch’s Pizzeria, cheeseburgers and all, the town echoed with our detective tale.

Another mystery solved, another cheeseburger relished. Life in Pawsburg, with its playful twists and flavorful sleuthing, is forever fetching. Until the next riddle, I remain, your loyal investigator, Lollypop.