"Excuse me! Oh, pardon me, sir… Good morning!" Giselle pushed her way down the familiar New York street as she did every morning on her way to her dress shop. She tried to be as friendly as she could to the people she ran into (quite literally), but they still didn't seem to respond very positively to her… But that never stopped her!

After a ten-minute walk, her boutique was finally in sight. The streets had began to slightly clear, so when she saw it, she smiled and skipped the rest of the way there. With her last little leap, she landed right in front of the door and pulled out the key to unlock it. She was about ready to put it in the lock when a series of car horns made her jump. It wasn't that car horns were very unusual things to hear in New York, but this many of them at one time was. She shot her head around just in time to see a little reddish-brown dog trying its best to get out of the street and dodge the screaming taxis.

Lady had gone to New York City with Jim Dear to accompany him on one of his business trips. She had heard so many wonderful things about the city, and she couldn't pass up an opportunity to get a little break!

That morning, Jim Dear had simply sent her to get him a bagel. The bagel shop was right across the street from their hotel, so it was only one street Lady had to cross. However, when she had attempted to cross, she was met by lots of beeping and yelling, frightening her into trying to bolt across the street. But she gasped and yelped as more cars almost hit her. There were so many! She was trying to weave between them as quickly as she could.

"Oh poor thing! She must be terribly frightened!" Giselle said with her hands covering her mouth. The dog was trying to dart towards the sidewalk, but each time she did, another car would come and cut her off. She finally took a chance and darted into another lane, but not before another honking taxi came roaring towards her. Giselle gasped and ran into the street. Before she even knew what she was doing, she had picked up the dog and was back on the sidewalk just in time for the car to go flying by. The car came so close that the passing breeze blew her dress violently around her legs. Giselle just stood on the sidewalk, holding the dog as close as she could until it was all over.

Once the taxi had passed, she looked into the dog's terrified eyes. "My goodness, are you alright?" she asked.

Lady froze as another car came hurdling towards her, and she realized she couldn't escape this one. Embracing her fate, she squeezed her eyes tight and prepared for the impact. However, she didn't feel any pain, but, keeping her eyes shut, she felt herself being lifted up, and supposed it was an angel.

But then, she felt her tiny paws touch some hard cement, and she decided to open her eyes. Lady blinked a few times and saw a concerned face right in front of her. Completely forgetting to be careful when speaking around humans, Lady said in a regular tone, "Oh yes, I'm okay now. Wow, was I hit?" She then gasped when she realized she had forgotten to be careful.

Giselle giggled at her question. "Oh, no, but you must have been so frightened!" Giselle was quite used to talking to animals, so the fact that the little dog was talking did not alarm her at all. In fact, it made her quite happy, considering none of the animals in New York really talked back to her like they did in Andalasia. "My name is Giselle," she said with a big smile.

Lady's ears ringed with all the noises going on around her, including the shrill yet very friendly voice right next to her ear. She decided she liked this girl. Smiling back, she introduced herself, "My name is Lady. I'm not from around here." She glanced around. "I'm staying at that hotel right across the street with my owner. He's here on business," she explained.

"Oh, Lady, what a beautiful name," Giselle said with warm enthusiasm. "It is very nice to meet you! What are you doing outside of the hotel? Do you need to go back? I would be more than happy to help you."

"Thank you," Lady said kindly. "I came just to get some bread at that shop right there," she explained.

Lady's mention of the bread made the warm, alluring smell from the bakery next door much more prevalent… and tempting. Giselle often went in their during her lunch breaks from the shop to say hi to the owner. She knew how good his food was. "That sounds wonderful…" she said with a longing sigh. "Would you mind terribly if I came with you?"

Lady brightened up, completely forgetting about her little accident. "Of course not! You could show me the best kinds," she smiled as she stood and headed over to the bakery. Pushing against the door with her paw, she heard the door's bells ring overhead as it opened, and the smell of freshly baked bread filled Lady's nose.

Giselle stepped inside with Lady. "Hello, Edgar!" she said with a small wave. Edgar was just pulling a fresh batch of bread out of the oven when he looked over his shoulder to see Giselle's smiling face. "Well, hello there, Miss Giselle," he said in a friendly voice. "Be with you in a moment." He pulled the tray of bread out and moved it to a counter by two other trays of cooling bread. The aroma of the bakery was overwhelming, but it always made Giselle feel warm and content in such a crazy, cold place as New York.

Edgar finished putting all of the bread where it needed to be and turned around to talk to Giselle. Flour flew in all directions as he brushed his hands together. "What can I get for you today?" he asked, leaning his arm against the counter. "Your usual?" Then, he looked down and noticed Lady. "Oh, who do you have here? Been rescuing more animals, I see?" He looked down and smiled at Lady. Giselle giggled. "This is Lady, Edgar. Isn't she lovely?" she said, looking down at her new friend with a warm smile. "And her name fits her very well!"

Lady smiled up at the man, then looked at Giselle, allowing her to pick out some things for Lady. Rolling her eyes down, Lady was relieved to see that the money was still fastened into her collar. Lady barked and wagged her tail, looking back between Giselle and Edgar.

Suddenly, she heard Jim Dear calling her name. Swiftly, Lady jumped up and placed the money on the counter with her mouth, grabbing the bread and barking in thanks to both Giselle and Edgar, eager to get back to Jim Dear.