At that very moment, Scrounger rushes into the room. "Guys, come quick! You'll never believe what Katrina Stoneheart's up to this time!"
"You mean she finally got that plastic surgery?" Howler inquires.
"Aw, no, Hon', she di'nt end up a-doin' that after all. Nose Marie replies, as she gently sits Pal back down on the table. "She never could settle on when t'do it, on account a' her face stopped all th' clocks in her house." She and the other dogs then share a chuckle over this.
"Guys, we need to be serious." Cooler informs them. He turns to Scrounger. "Lead on, Scrounger ol' pal."
Scrounger then leads the group outside, then over to a side fence, where he perches himself in a garbage can(in order to get a better view). The other seven dogs seat themselves in the surrounding garbage cans next to him, where they observe Holly's wicked aunt standing on the front lawn of her mansion next to a large silver machine. The machine has a very lion-like appearance, with a bushy blonde mane and a fierce-looking face with a wide mouth-like opening surrounded by sharp metal fangs. It has wheels for feet and a keyboard on its back. Katrina's daughter, Brattina, her pet, Catgut, and her henchmen, Flack and Tubbs, stand nearby.
"At last, I'll finally get the better of that miserable Cooler and his band of do-gooder dogs with this-the Vacuum Vortex!" Katrina takes a wanted poster of the Pound Puppies out of her pocket. "This mechanical marvel sucks up anything in its path and cages it up." Katrina then switches on the machine, which starts clanking and vibrating wildly, and feeds the poster into its mouth. The machine rattles and clanks for a few seconds before a cage containing the poster(which was now in shreds!) pops out the other end. Catgut snickers nastily at this, rubbing his paws together.
"Yes, folks, it slices, it dices, and it's only $19.95!" Cooler jokes, punctuating his sentence with a chuckle.
"Ooh," an appalled Whopper winces. "I think I'm gonna be sick!"
"Ooh," an upset Brighteyes groans. "I think I'm going to faint!"
"Well," Cooler replies. "If he's going to be sick, you'd better watch where you faint."
Suddenly, the Vacuum Vortex sniffs the air, turns toward the Pound Puppies' hiding place, then, with a glib grin on its face, motors toward them. "Uh oh, it's spotted us, crew!" Cooler exclaims urgently. "Let's hit the deck!" The Pound Puppies promptly disembark the garbage cans and hurry back into the pound; the Vacuum Vortex promptly sucks up the empty garbage cans.
Katrina stares oddly at this. "Why is that blasted contraption sucking up garbage cans?"
"Duh, maybe ya forgot ta feed it?" Tubbs replies helpfully.
"Ahh, dat machine's even dumber than you are!" Flack snaps.
"That dratted machine must be malfunctioning." Katrina scowls as she picks up Catgut and walks back toward her mansion, with Brattina following her. "Take it back to the garage!"
"You got it, boss." Flack replies. He begins pulling the machine from the front, while Tubbs pushes it from the back.
"Oof, dis thing's sure heavy." Tubbs groans.
"Talk about callin' da pot bellied." Flack sneers.
"Aw, who's got a pot belly-uh, never mind."
From inside the Pound Puppies' underground surveillance room, Cooler watches the two dognappers disappear behind the mansion with the machine, via a periscope. He turns to the group. "Now that the Vacuum Vortex is temporarily out of commission, we'll have ample time to help Pal wag his tail."
"It never wags?" Howler exclaims.
"Howler Hon', we's all done sayin' that now." Nose Marie says.
"Oh yeah, I forgot."
"You'd really do that? For me?" the little pup says hopefully.
"Well, most certainly, Sweetie." Violet replies. "We'll never turn down a dog in need."
Doubt crosses Pal's face. "But…how?"
"Look no further." pipes up Whopper, who's garbed in a doctor's outfit. "For emergencies like this, who do you call? Young Doctor Whopper!"
"Oh boy…" Scrounger mumbles under his breath.
Whopper motions to a nearby table with a stepstool next to it. "Now, just climb up here, and we'll see what's keeping your tail from wagging." Pal obliges, at which point Whopper walks up behind him and stares at his tail for a few seconds. "Hmm..hmm…oh, yes…"
"What do you make of it, doctor?" inquires Brighteyes, who's dressed as a nurse.
"Oh, yes, yes, this is definitely…a tail." Whopper replies.
"Uh, Whopper, we know it's a tail," Cooler says patiently. "But, why won't it wag?"
"Ahh yes, I think I know what the problem is," Whopper replies. "His batteries are worn out. Looks like we're going to have to operate."
"Operate?!" Pal exclaims fearfully, covering his tail with his paw.
"Yes, we're going to give you a tail transplant."
Pal's eyes grow large and he begins to sweat; he gives a nervous gulp. Scrounger frowns. "Whopper, you should be arrested for impersonating a doctor!"
"Pal doesn't need a new tail, Dear," Violet says. "He needs a reason to wag his own tail. Something to make him feel happy inside."
"That's an excellent idea, Violet." Cooler says. "Let's cheer up this pup!"
Brighteyes raises her paw. "Ooh! Ooh! I know the perfect thing for it!"
"Then Brighteyes, do your stuff!" Violet replies encouragingly.
