Hey there, just a quick update: I helped my human pals find the path to happiness by wagging a few tails, burying some sadness in the backyard, and spreading joy like a questing hero with fur. Not your typical knight, but I think I nailed the part. Catch you later, Sharky 🐾

It is a rather curious sensation, this business of being in a nearly perfect place. I remember the day I arrived in Spencerville, wagging in with nothing but my loyal heart and a keen sense for sniffing out trouble. Spencerville, for those not yet familiar with this part of the Canine Beyond, is a town where everything is designed to tickle a dog’s instincts and make us feel five times more alive than we did on Earth. For example, there are no vacuums here, much to my relief.

The air smells of salt and promises by the ocean, and the streets are a veritable maze of hidden treats and scents that could send any nose into a tizzy. My first trot was straight to Boxer Beach, no surprise to anyone who knows my fondness for the ocean. The gentle roll of the tide sets the perfect backdrop for my favorite pastime: swimming. Or, as others have often described it, my relentless pursuit of dragging any wandering human back to shore. I suppose that part stuck with me for good measure.

Now, please do forgive my mentioning family so early on, but it’s pertinent. I’ve got siblings scattered about, Dovah and Levi, real characters they are, which means navigating the familial bonds here in Spencerville requires the deft paws of a skilled diplomat. An occupation I’d consider myself quite invested in. It doesn’t take long to realize these bonds stretch beyond mere blood or bark; they encompass kindred spirits who speak your bark-ony—a language as varied as yips, whines, and resolute tail thumps.

It’s my vocation here—helping forgotten rescue dogs—that truly exercises my intellect and obedience, attributes I boasted of back on Earth and put to good use here. There’s a lane in Spencerville, not too far from The Woofy Bakery (where I must add, the snacks could make any stern face break into a wag), where a bridge glows gently under the moonlight. This bridge serves as a threshold, marking arrival for souls in need of solace and a gentle paw to show them the ropes.

The sunbathing is quite exquisite, just to note. I spend many an afternoon basking in the golden glow at Boxer Beach, my mind wandering back to memories of old—car rides with the humans, nose pressed firmly against the glass, a symphony of smells unfolding as the world zoomed by. Oh, the joys of a good car ride, are inconceivably stationed in the confines of a mechanical beast headed somewhere fascinating.

Over at The Canine Cafe, I often meet fellows from other places—the mountains, forests, and lakes—a veritable gathering place for dogs from all walks preparing for the great reunion. My human, much like this eternal ride we’re all on, is ever-present in my mind. I remember the instructions, the way she used to save so many souls from the kennels, how she needed saving too from herself, now and then. Perhaps I was a bit too intuitive, storing her words neatly between barks.

There’s an undeniable charm about the feathered figures I see here occasionally speaking of their humans who’ll walk across planes one day to join them. Hope is so intrinsic to the fabric of Spencerville that it could as well be another place altogether if it weren’t.

I make a point to visit Pawsome Pancakes come morning. My appetite here, I must admit, spares no room for moderation, a trait admired among my kin (though mind you, the place does offer a delight in everything). On occasion, I meet my Earthy pals—Lemon, Edison, Ponyo, and the like—in the charming scenery of an endless canine idyll.

Well, in a vignette such as this, are tales told perfect? Who knows, but it unfailingly fills the hours while we hold council, tails wagging, casting joyous daydreams in a perfect town where time is but a cottony breath of all that’s grand and less of what isn’t. Here’s to the dreams and to the many paddle strokes ‘til I’m back home with them again.