Roscoe to the Rescue

Rueby Tuesday by Carlos and Jean Aleman

The Reubenite Secret Service receives the GPS signal from Reuben's desperate cell phone call, and the government immediately dispatches troops to rescue the trapped diplomat. They also call upon their allies from doggie nations around the globe, as well as marine and aerial animals with whom the Reubenites had established friendships over the years. Soon a large force is on its way to the mysterious treehouse islands. The forces are led by the legendary admiral, Roscoe, who is called out of retirement in order to lend his military knowledge to the invasion.

Roscoe Lipbalm, better known to the public as the host of "Outside the Doghouse," was in his younger days a brilliant military strategist who orchestrated many of the most noteworthy conquests of the Reubenites. After many years of service to his country, he opted for a quieter life in the media. Though he found it quite enjoyable interviewing celebrities week after week, deep inside there was a yearning for the military life of his younger days. So, when his country called him into service once again, he eagerly accepted.

Captured!

Rueby Tuesday by Carlos and Jean Aleman

Reuben was discovered while he was rummaging through the files in the treehouse. The inhabitants of the island capture him and tie his arms and legs together.

Reuben was beginning to despair, but then he remembered his cell phone. After his captors leave, he works frantically at the ropes and manages to free one of his arms. He gets his cell phone out and dials Rufus' number for help. Unfortunately, the line was shaky. He saw that he had only one bar left on his phone. He makes one last desperate attempt at contacting Rufus. Success!

The phone rings and Rufus picks up immediately. Unfortunately, the connection was very bad.

"Captured by cats....get help...." he yells into the phone, but then the connection goes dead.

The Cat's Out of the Bag

Rueby Tuesday by Carlos and Jean Aleman

While Rufus was exploring the mysterious island, Reuben found a door that brought him into the tree house. There, he found files. Being a rather curious little dog, he started to go through the files. What he found was shocking.

As it turned out, Reuben and Rufus had landed on an island inhabited by cats. They had been plotting for years to conquer the Reubenites. In order to accomplish this, the cats had devised an elaborate plan to lure Reuben and Rufus to the island. Once the cats had them, they would employ various forms of torture to extract national secrets. The cats would then use those secrets to invade the Reubenites.

Reuben was horrified by his discovery. But how could he warn his countrymen? He was just beginning to panic when he realized that he still had his cell phone. He quickly dialed the chairman of the joint chiefs of the Reubenite army.

Lost Dog

Rueby Tuesday by Carlos and Jean Aleman

After Reuben and Rufus become stranded on the island, the two find their tempers flaring. Reuben starts accusing Rufus of being absent-minded, which led him to crash his balloon. Rufus retaliates by reminding Reuben that he was the one who forgot to tie down the canoe. They argued back and forth until they were both so upset that they decided to go their separate ways.

When they first landed on the island, they notice that there were two streets, K9 East and K9 West. They decide that they would each take a street so that they can be as far away from each other as possible.

They circle the island like this all day. Finally, Rufus' temper begins to cool and he decides to find Reuben so that they can make up. However, after a long search, Rufus is unable to locate his friend.

"What is the best way to find a lost dog?" he asks himself. And then it hits him. "Brilliant!" he proclaims of his own idea. He smiles as he sits in front of his most clever idea.

The Journey Home

Rueby Tuesday by Carlos and Jean Aleman

After a rather disappointing trip to China, Reuben and Rufus decide to head for home. In the interest of safety, the Reubenites had decided that Reuben would travel by canoe and Rufus by blimp, so that in the event of an accident, the country would not lose both their top general and their country's ambassador.

Reuben and Rufus decide to take an unfamiliar but more scenic route home, rather than travelling across the Atlantic as they had done on the way to China. Rufus is awed by the extraordinary scenery along their journey, but his fascination proves to be the downfall of the two diplomats.

Reuben and Rufus were in the waters in a remote part of the Pacific when they enter a very beautiful section of islands. Rufus notices one island in particular with a most unusual tree house right in the center. Rufus decides to go in for a closer look when his blimp snags on the large tree. Rufus finds himself stuck in the tree and calls to Reuben for help. Reuben quickly rows over to the island and jumps out of the canoe to help his friend. Reuben climbs the tree and frees Rufus from the tangled remains of the blimp.

Unfortunately, by the time the two friends descend from the tree, they find that Reuben had failed to secure his canoe and it had drifted out to sea....

Diplomatic Reuben

Rueby Tuesday by Carlos and Jean Aleman

In the early 1900's, Reuben's ancestors ventured over to China to establish an alliance between that country and the Reubenites. General Reuben was sent with the Reubenite ambassador, Rufus. Once they arrived in China, they met with the Chinese ambassador, Ching-I.

The meeting went exceptionally well. The two countries worked out terms for a military and diplomatic arrangement that was mutally beneficial to both countries.

As they were preparing to leave, however, Rufus broached the possibility of manufacturing Reuben action figures in Chinese factories. They were thrown out of the country and told never to return.

Reuber Wright

Reuber Tuesday by Carlos and Jean Aleman

Everyone knows about the achievements of Orville and Wilbur Wright, how they were pioneers in the pursuit of flight. What people don't know is that Reuber Wright, the Wright brothers' dog, actually flew the first prototype the Wright brothers designed. It was a 1/15 scale model of the Wright flyer, plane the brothers eventually flew.

Reuber was a little nervous at first when he was told of what the Wright brothers wanted him to do, but he was devoted to his owners, so he agreed. The Wright brothers equipped him with flying attire and strapped him into the plane. Reuber was exhilerated and terrified at the same time, but succeeded in becoming the first doggie to fly a plane. He managed to break the sound barrier with his first flight, though the Wright brothers were only able to achieve a speed of ten feet per second. Sadly, the fact that Reuber was only a dog caused him to be ommitted from historical accounts.

King of the Ottoman Empire

Rueby Tuesday by Carlos and Jean Aleman

While flipping through a history book, Reuben came across this surprising photograph. He noted a strong family resemblence, so he read on to find out more about this fascinating creature.

As it turned out, the photograph as taken in the waning days of the Ottoman empire. It was the early 1900's, before World War I brought down the kingdom. The ruler was Sultan Mehmed VI. The sultan had a beloved pet who was also treated like royalty. The sultan had many photos and portraits commissioned of his dog, but nowhere was there an indication of the dog's name. Reuben was intrigued by the mysterious creature that looked so much like him, so he set out to see if he could find out the dog's name. Unfortunately, with the demise of the empire, the name of the dog had been erased.

Though there remains no record of this dog, Reuben is confident that he has located yet another of his relatives.

Hurricane Reuben

Rueby Tuesday by Carlos and Jean Aleman

In the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma, Reuben decided to go out and see for himself the damage done to his neighborhood (and to take a pee). He found that the winds were still powerful, but he was determined to do what he came out to do. So he braved the elements and went about his business.

As he was going home, this thought flashed through Reuben's mind: "Boy, I wish I had an indoor bathroom."

Reub-tila the Hun

Rueby Tuesday by Carlos and Jean Aleman

As Reuben continued to trace his roots, he discovered many amazing details about his ancestry. One of the most incredible facts he uncovered was that one of his ancestors was actually the pet of Attila the Hun. In fact, the dog was such a prized companion of the great warrior that Reub-tila, as he was named, was given his own army of warrior Shih-Tzus to fight alongside their human counterparts. Together, Reub-tila and Atila set about forming one of the most formidable armies of the time, even striking fear in the mighty Roman empire.

Sadly, historians have failed to record the exploits of these noble warrior dogs, but, thanks to a strong oral tradition, the conquests of Reub-tila and his armies have carried on.