Paula the Pup put her paw on her Papa. "Please tell me when our people will be present!"

"Please be patient, perky pup," said Papa. "Go play with Peter, Polly, and Perry the pups."

Then Paula put a paw on her Mama. "Peter, Polly and Perry are playing with the poodles. We are pugs!"

"Paula Pug!" said Mama Pug, "Poodles are pooches, too. Don't peer down your snout at pooches of another breed."

"But poodles are peculiar," protested Paula.

"What pug put that puzzling piece of poppycock into your puppy mind?"

"She wasn't a pug. She was a pointer I met, perchance, while patrolling the park."

"Patrolling the park? What are you, a police pup?"

"No, but I prefer to pretend. So I was playing with Priscilla, the pointer pup."

"She is just a pipsqueak pup, who doesn't know better," said Mama. "Did Priscilla the pointer pup point her posterior at a poodle?"

"No, she pointed her tail at a pigeon. But she said that poodles are peculiar, particular and pampered."

"Poodles may need particular grooming because their hair grows profusely. But they are perfectly pleasant pooches."

So Paula pranced off. At first she peered at her sister Polly, and her brothers Peter and Perry, who were playing with the poodles, Penny and Peggy. They played "Pitch the Slipper," propelling it up, then plucking it from the air.

The pooches had purloined all the slippers from their people throughout the whole place, and Paula joined the pandemonium, propelling slippers upwards: slippers in shades of powder blue, bright purple, pale brown, pacific blue, delicious peach, perfect pink, paradise red, and parakeet green. Some were even pure white -- at least, until the pups got their paws on them!

There was a pounding on the door, and then, it was peaceful. Mrs. Plopper padded in, saying, "I presumed to prepare you pups!"

Mr. Plopper padded in behind her. "So it's a pooch and pup party, hey?"

Pups and parental pooches alike were all perplexed, and some were petrified in panic. But Mr. and Mrs. Plopper erupted in peals of laughter, and petted their poodles and pugs with plentiful hugs as the pooches' and puppies' paws pranced high in the air, slippers pointed and pitched every which way.

Paula Pup was pleased to see her people, and particularly pleased at their pleasure. Mr. and Mrs. Plopper petted her profusely and Paula pressed into each of them with pleasant little licks, as they proudly paid particular attention to each pet, pooch by pooch.