Hey bud,

Just another Pawsburg adventure where your pal Ruffles played detective and solved the Great Book Heist! Ironic, isn’t it? Your bud who’d rather eat than read, saving a book! It involved the usual town suspects – Jazzy Cat, Cooper Beagle, and the criminal turned out to be our feathered friend Prissy Parrot. From now on, call me ‘Detective Ruffles’. Pawsome, ain’t it?

-Ruffles, the Pet Detective

Listen to the story here

It was one of those sublime Pawsburg mornings when the sky lazily reflected its light on the dainty façade of Fawn Pug Palace and the dew tingled the lush feet of Husky Hill. Any inhabitant would testify that there was always much to do, mysteries to uncover, squirrels to chase… and in my case, sullen peas to avoid. Despite my continuous pleas, The Bow Wow Bistro insisted on serving ‘Pea Surprise.’ I had deduced long ago that the ‘Surprise’ really was that there were peas in it!

As I was indulging in a well-earned post-breakfast nap, a ruckus disturbed my peace. A message was relayed from The Wagging Tail Bookstore. The residents were in shock – someone had snatched the prized ‘Howl of the Wild’ novel right off its pedestal. The storekeeper, an old cocker spaniel with spectacles perched on his nose, was nearly inconsolable. And so, my, Ruffles’ day of peace was replaced with grand detective work, quite fitting for a dog of my intellect.

The décor of the vacant pedestal at The Wagging Tail Bookstore was the obvious beginning of this sleuth adventure. With a heave and slight a wheeze – don’t judge, us French Bulldogs are not fans of excessive locomotion unless it involves a rainbow chew rope or crime, I squeezed my nubile figure into the gloss of the bookstore.

Upon the first inspection, I found nothing but a faint smell of errant slobber and a telltale feather. A quill? A plume? I wondered, filling in my mental chalkboard with floating question marks.

Jazzy, the cat, heard the commotion and pressed her sleek figure into the bookstore, her agility making me slightly envious. “Mighty job, Ruffles. Being the town’s pet detective requires more than just sniffing around,” she purred with sarcastic elegance. That feline sure was a handful! I paused briefly for a retort. “At least I don’t inspire nine lives of fear rushing up a tree every time Spot, the Dalmatian, is about,” I teased.

“How dare you…!” she hissed, but before she could finish, we were interrupted by Cooper the Beagle.

Panting heavily, Cooper stumbled and tumbled, bringing attention to a trail of white feathers at Red Beagle Beach. Ah, a clue! I dutifully noted.

As Pawsburg expanded in collective gasp and wild guesses, our determined trio followed the feathered clues to an unexpected location: Yappy Yogurt’s backyard. As we stood in awe, we found splayed open with evident enjoyment, ‘Howl of the Wild,’ with a healthy serving of chicken-tikka wrapped in a cone beside it. Around it were strewn several white feathers.

And as we all know, the only pet in Pawsburg with a penchant for chicken-tikka and adorning a cloak of feathers for mid-day strolls was none other than Prissy, the parrot!

Sighing in relief, we couldn’t help but laugh at the antics of this whimsical town. The triumphant walk back through Pawsburg, I couldn’t help but smile smugly whenever someone referred to me as ‘Detective Ruffles.’

I did however exchange a look of secret exasperation with Jazzy and Cooper; if our capers were this animated every day, we’d need an exclusive Pet Partners Pet Supply shopping spree, if not for treats, then for detective gear!

As the sun began to set on this rollercoaster of a day, I found myself at Pup-Cakes, nibbling on my victory snack; a delightful chicken muffin while watching the water twinkle at Red Beagle Beach. Ah, the perfect end to a day of magnificent mischief, mayhem, and mystery! Pawsburg, after all, was a town of speculative fun, and I was its renowned detective extra— ‘Squirrel!’ Ahem… pet detective, a title I wore with misplaced dignity and stolen cupcakes.

The End.