A visit to the SPCP

Eager to learn more about what Claudia hinted at during your first visit to the Petgirl Café, Ashley has looked up everything there is to know about the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Petgirls. There's plenty to read about what they do to keep petgirls safe and to promote healthy relationships between pets and their owners, but out of respect for their privacy information about individual pets is kept scarce. It's restricted to what the girls are willing to make public, similar to how the digital profiles many pet shops upload work.

Trying a different approach, Ashley found the number for the SPCP's Spruceville office and gave them a call one day. Her call was answered by a representative who recognized her name and was happy to tell her about the SPCP's arrangement with the café. When Ashley asked if they were involved in or knew of anything similar, he answered that it would be best if she came in to discuss that in person.

Arrangements were made for a visit, and that brings you to the present. After your last class of the day, you hurry home to see Tibby already dressed to go out. She's wearing opaque black leggings under a short white skirt and one of the Spruceville-Tyler sweaters given to Ashley at the end of the photoshoot. After giving the waiting catgirl a kiss hello and an affectionate rub behind the ears, you take her hand and walk to the train station. A short ride and a walk through Spruceville later, the two of you meet up with Ashley and make your way to the SPCP's local headquarter.

It's a squat, two-story building that looks more like a home than anything else, at least from the outside. The inside has been remodelled to serve a new purpose, but it still feels lived in and has a warmer atmosphere than you'd expect from a bureaucratic facility.

Upon entering the building you're greeted by a Mr Fontaine, and he gets right to business once everyone is sitting in comfortable armchairs in a private room. "Let me start by expressing how sorry I am for what happened to you at Baleview College. I wish we could have helped, but even if the SPCP had been brought in on the case the outcome would have been the same. Our sway over the education system is limited to influencing the curriculum at the level of secondary schools and lower, and that's mostly about teaching kids about pets. But we were all glad to be informed you're continuing your studies with post-secondary education here in Spruceville. You're setting a good precedent, and every exam you pass strengthens your position."

"I'll have to keep passing them then," Ashley says with a strained laugh.

Mr Fontaine apologizes. "I don't want to increase the pressure you're under. I'm just saying keep doing what you're doing. But that's not what we're here for today is it?"

Ashley shakes her head. "We want to know more about petgirls who have occupations or pursue goals other than being a... stay-at-home pet?" she asks while smiling fondly at Tibby.

Tibby giggles. "I like that title. Mama Tibs bustling around the house while you kids go out to study."

"Mama?" you ask quietly, your cheeks flushing slightly.

Mr Fontaine continues without comment. "I understand you've already met someone else who fits that description?"

"Yes, our friend Isabel." Ashley explains the events that gave her the courage not to abandon her career plans, with you and Tibby helping out with details here and there.

"Very interesting," Mr Fontaine says when she's done. "And you've been to the Petgirl Café of course. There are likely a number of pets like this Isabel who I wouldn't know about because they haven't requested the SPCP's aid. But when people like Claudia and her uncle reach out to us we do what we can to help them."

"So there have been others like her?" you ask eagerly.

"Oh yes. The stereotype of the pampered pet is a popular one, but it has never applied to every pet. Many pets like to help out, though it's usually in a similar capacity as a spouse having his or her partner's back. But in some cases they can take things further. A carpenter's pet might decide she wants to be more involved and join him in the workshop full-time, for example. But your approach may be unique in two ways."

"Two ways our Ash is extra special? Let's hear 'em!" Tibby demands.

"Motivation and method," Mr Fontaine says. "You told me your friend Isabel regards her singing as a passion that allows her to spend more time with her owner, and just happens to fund their lifestyle. The girls at the café have similar attitudes. As far as they're concerned they're just helping out the man who's letting them stay there, they don't see it as a job and they don't want to be considered employees either. Whereas Ashley is actually pursuing a career and will want to be taken seriously as a professional in her field."

Ashley nods to confirm her intentions. "That's my motivation. And the method is that I'm going to school for it instead of learning as I go?"

"What? No. Well I suppose that too, but I meant that other pets help out their owners or look for opportunities that will help them find owners like at the café. You're the only one I know who is pursuing something with no connection to an owner or potential owner. You and John aren't likely to end up working together."

"That's right," you say. "We want to support each other all the way but we have our own goals. She's been talking about her dreams and plans for years, long before her recent discoveries."

"Right, that's another thing. Not all pets develop at the same time, but they normally at least suspect what they are while they're young enough that any plans they may have had for a non-pet life are vague enough to be dropped without much issue. In Ashley's case those plans had time to solidify and become an important part of her personality. Instead of overwriting that, any new ideas about what she wants out of life are integrated into her existing self-image so she can gain new interests without letting go of the old."

"That matches what I've been discussing with my doctors," Ashley says. "Of course the reason why I got such a late start is still unknown. They're confident that my condition is stable now, but they can't say why my estroxin levels waited until last year to go up."

"Well I'm not qualified to speculate on that topic," Mr Fontaine tells her. "Perhaps you'll solve that puzzle yourself in the course of your studies and work. In the meantime, I hope the information I'm at liberty to share helps you understand yourself a little better. Because while we did just talk about what makes you unique, you aren't frightfully different from other pets we've dealt with at the SPCP."

"It is a relief to have things put into perspective," Ashley responds. "So what can you tell me about these other pets?"

What follows is quite an interesting lecture. There's a public pool in the next province where aquatic petgirls like to spend their afternoons encouraging little kids during their swimming lessons. A group of teens who were earning money by walking their neighbor's housepets came out as petgirls and decided to continue their business under the name Pets Sitting Pets. There's even the historic example of Marie Curie.

"Did you know she was an owl petgirl? She stayed up late at night in the laboratory she shared with her husband, actually her owner, and made a number of discoveries on her own. Sadly she didn't get as much credit for her work as she deserved because society was less accepting back then. Pierre and Marie hid her nature as a pet, aware that it would hurt her credibility, but even so the fact that she was a woman meant her biggest discoveries had to be published in his name. It's only the recent discovery of their original journals that shed light on the matter."

It's all very educational, and you can see Ashley's eyes light up when she learns the truth about Marie Curie. You can imagine she must feel less alone knowing even a famous researcher like that could be a pet. And if anyone else doubts her ability, now she has the perfect card to pull out to shut them up.

After hearing about a few more petgirls you say farewell to Mr Fontaine and leave in high spirits. Ashley walks out looking quite calm, but once outside she whoops in delight and hops into your arms. "I can't believe it! Madame Curie, an owlgirl? And all those other pets... there must be even more we don't know about."

"You think she ever put on her labcoat for some private experiments with Mr Curie?" Tibby snickers.

Ashley blushes, remembering her grand toothpaste experiment. "Probably. Let's go home, you naughty research assistant. I'm feeling inspired for a second go at making John a test subject."

"Oh no!" you shout, but the manically laughing girls have already grabbed your arms and begun to drag you in the direction of the train station.