The episode begins with Eliot, as always, drawing like the wind at his animation desk. The viewer sees a beach backdrop featuring Ace Hart wearing nothing except his trademark hat, loose tie, and a red speedo. Ace looks back at Eliot with a raised eyebrow and none-too-pleased expression.
"Don't you think this is a little much?" asks Ace, speaking to his creator.
"Of course not! I always wanted to do an adventure on the beach. Everybody loves the feeling of sand in their toes, the heat making you wish the sun was a doggy dish, and best of all: this!"
Eliot proceeds to draw Eddie in swim trunks catching a Frisbee in his mouth as Ace watches.
"But why the speedo?" inquires Ace.
"It's sweeps week! My boss wants me to come up with out there ideas to get people's attention! It worked last year when you had amnesia." explains Eliot.
"Funny, I don't remember that."
"Bingo! And this year will be no different!" replies a chipper Eliot.
As Eliot continues to animate, in comes his young friend Artie Springer through the puppy pass.
"Hi there, Mr. Shag!" greets Artie.
"Not now, Artie. My creative juices are flowing!"
"Ooh, then I came just in time!" says Artie. He then notices Ace at the beach. "What's Ace investigating this time?"
"I can't tell you that! I want it to be a surprise for you when it airs on TV."
"Pretty please? With biscuits on top? I swear I'll keep it a secret between you and me." pleads Artie.
Eliot smiles. "Well, okay. See for yourself."
He steps away from the desk to allow Artie a closer look.
"That's weird. Why is Ace in his underwear?"
"It's worse than that. Chaffing in all the wrong places." complains Ace.
"He's going to the beach. That's all you're getting from me." says Eliot to Artie.
"Any other hints?"
"Nope, sorry. Listen, I'm pretty busy, so maybe you could check back in later?" says Eliot, politely trying to shoo Artie away.
Artie gets comfortable in Eliot's chair, swiveling it around. "Sure thing, sir! Let me just add one more thing."
Eliot is starting to get visibly annoyed with Artie's carelessness. "Careful, I got lots of gouache over there! Some seriously sticky stuff."
"I've been painting since I was a pup! I got this." assures Artie.
"You still are one." replies Eliot.
As Artie grabs a brush, he accidentally knocks over a bottle of whiteout, which engulfs the paper.
"Artie, no!" shouts Eliot.
Cutting back to Ace, he tries to run away from a giant wave of water, resembling the whiteout.
"Eliot!" shouts Ace, before the whiteout reaches him.
Back to Artie and Eliot, Artie is immediately remorseful.
"Whoops! I'm so sorry, Mr. Shag! It was an accident, I didn't mean it!"
A shocked Eliot then grabs the paper, completely blank. "Artie! All my hard work washed away forever! Now I'm going to have to start all over again." He throws the paper in the trash.
Artie looks on in worry, not used to seeing his idol so angry. "The sorriest of sorries, sir! I promise I'll fix it! Somehow, some way! What can I do to help?"
"Well, there is one way." replies Eliot.
"Anything!"
"Leave." states a blunt Eliot.
"You mean, you don't want my help?" asks Artie.
"No!" yells Eliot.
Artie frowns, and begins to sniffle. "Oh, I get it. I really messed things up this time, huh? I'll leave you alone. Goodbye, sir." Artie slowly walks out the puppy pass door.
"Don't you mean later animator?" inquires Eliot.
"No!" replies Artie, as he tearfully walks out of the puppy pass.
Eliot returns to his drawing board. He notices Ace on the crumpled piece of paper in the garbage can.
"Finally. Now I can hear my thoughts."
"Don't you think you were a little rough on him?" inquires Ace, back to his typical attire.
"You don't understand, Ace. Now I have a strict deadline. I have to finish this episode tomorrow!"
"Besides, it's on you for putting the whiteout so close by. It was an accident waiting to happen and you know it."
"Well, what would you have done?" asks Eliot.
"Easy. I would have told the kid accidents happen, and bury the bone."
Eliot is intrigued. "Oh, really?"
"You should thank him, anyway. Now I don't have to wear that speedo."
"Hmm. You could be on to something, Ace."
"It's about time you started listening to my ideas." says a smug Ace.
"Alright, then. Let's try something a little different." Eliot grabs his paintbrush, and creates downtown Dog City, returning to the animated portion.
"Dog City. The city that never stops barking. It was cold, but not enough to freeze my wet nose. I was doing the worst thing known to dogkind: paperwork."
The camera zooms in on Ace rifling through cabinets worth of paper. Rosie enters the room seconds later.
"Still going over the papers?" asks Rosie.
"Nah, I already read it this morning." Ace then registers just what she was asking. "Oh, you mean these! Still going through them. I have the paper cuts to prove it." Ace shows off all of his fingers, having bandages on every one.
"Honestly, Ace, you should just use that new computer." Rosie puts her hand on the computer staring right in front of Ace, posing.
"No way! You know how I am with typewriters. I got no thumbs!" insists Ace.
"Suit yourself. Technology's the way of the future."
"Since when were you interested in this stuff anyway? You're so by the book, you don't even own a calculator!" claims Ace.
"Because I can do the math in my head, unlike you." replies Rosie.
Just as Ace is about to make a witty comeback of his own, he stops himself upon noticing Rosie wearing diamond earrings.
"I've never seen you wear jewelry on the job." observes Ace.
"Save the detective skills for the cases."
"Touchy! Who ate your kibble this morning?" inquires Ace.
"Oh, you know I can't stomach that stuff!" Rosie runs out of the office in disgust.
Ace is confused, and begins to narrate. "Something was up with Rosie. Yeah, she was sassy as ever, but she loves kibble! I'm gonna have to stay right on her tail and see if anything adds up. Calculator or not."
As Ace goes back to his paperwork, a certain young pup enters the building.
"Hiya, Ace!" waves Eddie.
"Hey, kid." replies a nonchalant Ace.
"Whatcha doin'?"
"I'm trying to start a fire." says Ace sarcastically.
"Well, you're off to a great start! It's a well known fact paper is highly flammable and spreads fire just as quickly as a match."
Ace looks at the audience with annoyance, before returning to his work. "I'm doing paperwork."
"What kind of paperwork?"
"The kind that's work. Speaking of papers, don't you have to sell some yourself?" inquires Ace.
"I'm way ahead of ya! Just sold my last one today." states a chipper Eddie.
"What about homework?"
"Did it hours ago!" says Eddie.
"Eddie, aren't you bored just watching me do paperwork?"
Eddie gasps. "Not at all! It's fun seeing you hard at work and getting one step closer to cracking a case."
"You're one weird kid." proclaims Ace, as he continues with his paperwork.
As Eddie looks around, he notices the computer.
"Bow wow! That computer sure is pretty." opines Eddie.
"Pretty? It's a hunk of plastic." snarks Ace.
"You're kidding! This baby has the most gigabytes on the market and all the RAM you could ever need! Surfing the web is a breeze with this top of the line hard drive!"
"What?" asks a genuinely confused Ace.
"That's what Barkley's Computer Quarterly said in the latest issue." answers Eddie.
"No, no, I mean, don't you need a surfboard for that?" asks Ace.
Eddie laughs. "You're so funny, Ace! Surfing the web just means looking things up."
"All the same, I don't need a computer screen for that. I can just walk around to search for things."
"Well, if you're not gonna use it... can I? I promise I'll be careful!" insists Eddie.
"Sorry, Eddie. It's for office use only. Besides, it's not even set up yet."
"Oh, that's easy! I can do it myself!"
"No way!" says Eddie.
"Aw, throw me a tennis ball, Ace! You never let me do anything." pouts Eddie.
"There's a good reason for that. A pup like you could get hurt." explains Ace.
"Nuh uh! I can handle myself just fine."
"You really believe that, huh?" inquires Ace.
"Sure I do!"
Ace laughs at Eddie's assertion. Eddie frowns and sits on the ground.
"It's tough to be a kid."
"Tough? You got nothing to worry about." opines Ace.
"You're wrong! I have school, and I gotta sell tons of papers, and and..." Eddie takes a deep breath before continuing. "Nobody ever takes me seriously!"
"Well, no offense intended, but dogs like me have it way harder."
"You're kidding! Being an adult means you can do whatever you want. You're so lucky, Ace."
"Sure, but it also means being worked to the bone. You wouldn't be up to it, Eddie." proclaims Ace.
"Of course I would be! Thanks to you, I'd be able to solve a case!"
Ace lets out a smile. "You pups sure are cute when you believe things like that."
He ruffles Eddie's head, before the latter stops him.
"See? You're just like all the other adults. You don't take me seriously."
"Well, just be thankful you get to be a kid, because take it from me: you'll miss it when you're an adult." insists Ace.
Eddie looks down on the ground. As Ace finishes up his paperwork, his tie gets caught in the floppy disk slot, essentially eating the tie. Ace's eyes go wide upon noticing this.
"I don't like where this is going.."
"Relax, you'll be fine." comments Eliot.
"Eddie!" shouts Ace.
Eddie immediately looks up, and rushes towards Ace. "Don't worry, Ace! I'll save you!"
Ace struggles while Eddie attempts to move his idol away from the computer. Eventually, the computer malfunctions, electrocuting Ace and Eddie. Eddie is flung across the room, while Ace is still near the computer desk.
Now in the puppet world, Eliot looks to the camera and says "What a shocking twist!" before smiling at his own pun.
Back to the cartoon, Ace is shown to be the first to wake up after the computer zapped him and Eddie.
"Woof. I gotta lay off on the peanut butter." says Ace as an aside. The only problem is, his voice is coming out of Eddie's body!
Ace proceeds to get up, but has immense difficulty doing such a simple task. While walking around, Ace goes in opposite directions back and forth. "My legs feel all wobbly."
As Ace tries to get used to Eddie's shorter stature, he notices something else.
"Hey! Nobody told me they were gonna upscale the office!" states Ace, not understanding the perspective change was due to being in Eddie's body.
Now Eddie himself starts to get up. He begins to stretch, before hearing bones crack.
"Ow!" exclaims Eddie, rubbing his now adult back in pain. He didn't know it yet, but Eddie was in Ace's body!
Eddie tries walking around, but with how top heavy Ace's body is, doesn't have much luck.
"Whoa! So this is what growth spurts are like!"
As both Ace and Eddie struggle to walk around the office, they bump into the wall and desk.
"Ace!" shouts Eddie.
"Eddie! Where are you?"
Immediately after saying this, Ace trips. He gets back up and tries searching for Eddie. Due to being preoccupied with their new bodies, neither look before bumping into each other face first.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" admonishes Ace.
"Sorry!" replies Eddie. After saying this, Eddie sees his own body from a second person perspective. "Uh, Ace?"
"Yeah, kid?"
"You don't have a mirror in front of you, do ya?" asks Eddie.
"Of course not! Why are you asking?" inquires Ace.
"Because, why are you talking in my body?"
Ace examines himself, and sees Eddie's trademark oversized red sweater arms.
He gulps. "Eddie?"
"Ace?"
"You." states Ace.
"I." Eddie continues the charade.
"Me."
"Us?" inquires Eddie.
"Eliot!" shouts Ace at the top of his lungs.
"Moi?" replies an impish Eliot.
"Don't play innocent with me. Is this your idea of a joke?" asks Ace.
"I do recall you saying you wanted to try something different, non?" asks Eliot.
"I didn't mean like this!" exclaims Ace, pulling on his newfound floppy ears.
"Hey! I promised you'd be fine." says Eliot.
"In what world is being two feet tall with stubby little legs fine?" snarks Ace.
"Don't sell yourself short." Eliot realizes the accidental pun he made, and tries not to laugh. Ace is furious.
"I had to spice things up for sweeps, and everybody loves a good ol' body swap. Besides, you look adorable in Eddie's body."
"Yeah, I ain't so cute when I bite." threatens Ace.
Eliot's jaw drops in shock. "Message received." He then goes back to drawing the cartoon.
"How do you walk like this, Ace? It's really hard!" inquires Eddie, still getting the hang of his larger body.
"You're barking to the choir! I can't take more than one step without falling flat on my face."
Eddie and Ace bump into each other once again.
"Let's take it easy. We don't need concussions on top of all this." states Ace.
After the two dogs help each other up, Eddie examines his newfound larger frame and smiles.
"This is every pup's dream! I get to be my own hero! Watch out, Ace Hart the private eye... dog, is on the case!" says an ecstatic Eddie, smiling brightly as he uses the older dog's magnifying glass.
"Hold it there, buster! I may be you right now, but I'm still the one and only Ace where it counts." Ace points to his head for emphasis.
Eddie is too excited to pay Ace's reply any mind. "And even better, I'm an adult now! That means I can do whatever I want!"
Having gotten the hang of Ace's body, Eddie balances his feet on the desk while using the chair as a recliner.
"Sayonara schoolwork, bye bye bedtimes! All I have to do is bust bad guys! This is gonna be so awesome being you!" declares Eddie.
"Hmm. Since you're not a pup anymore, how about you do my taxes?" asks Ace.
Eddie's bliss is interrupted by Ace's suggestion. "Well, gee Ace, I don't know."
"Don't worry, kid. I was only callin' your bluff." replies Ace.
Within seconds, Eddie gives Ace papers to review.
"Finished!"
"You actually did 'em?" inquires an incredulous Ace.
"Yeah! You sure are lucky I learned how to divide recently!" states Eddie, chipper as ever.
With Eddie still sitting at the desk, the camera focuses on the computer.
"I wonder how that computer switched our minds in the first place." says Ace.
"Me neither; the article never said anything about brain transference."
"Eddie, would you consider yourself a tech wiz?" asks Ace.
"Oh, no! I'm a reader, not an expert." replies Eddie.
"Well, maybe you can find some way to change us back in that... hard drive is the word, right?"
"Yep! Hold on, let me take a crack at it." Eddie turns the computer on, causing it to boot up. As he starts to type, the screen suddenly turns blue, followed by the computer exploding.
"Nice job." states a sardonic Ace.
"I've never seen a computer do this before!" insists Eddie.
"Promise?" asks Ace.
"On all my rawhides!"
"Hmm. Maybe somebody rigged the computer." theorizes Ace.
"And then specifically targeted us." adds Eddie.
"By swapping our minds."
"And hoping we'd be too distracted." says Eddie.
"To figure it out!" finishes Ace. "Good going, kid! You sound more like a detective every day."
Eddie smiles, as his tail - what is usually Ace's - is seen wagging in appreciation. Seconds later, a doorknob is heard turning.
"Uh oh! It's Rosie! I'm gonna be in the doghouse when she sees-"
"The computer!" shouts Rosie.
With Ace and Eddie at the scene of the crime, the two simply smile sheepishly as Rosie confronts them.
"I leave for a half hour, and the computer goes kaput. Where are our files gonna go now?" inquires a frustrated Rosie.
"In the cabinets!" answers an innocent Eddie, his youthful voice coming out of Ace's body.
"It wasn't my fault! Eddie was fooling around with it!" insists Ace, forgetting his baritone voice is coming out of Eddie's body.
Rosie is too busy inspecting the damage to notice the two's swap. "Real nice, Ace. Blame it on the kid. You're nothing if not consistent."
"You just cost us over a thousand dollars! Do you know how much money we had to pay the city for this? Now we're gonna have to grovel over a new one to the mayor."
Ace raises an eyebrow. "Since when did you care about money?"
"I have a better question. Eddie, why are you talking like Ace? You're much too young to have a voice that gravelly."
"I prefer the term husky." states Ace. He then faces his creator. "Eliot, help me out here!"
Eliot is shown stuffing his face with popcorn. "Nah, I wanna see what you guys come up with. It's good to mix things up for a change!"
"The one time I need ya..." snarks Ace.
"Well?"
"We're working on a ventriloquism act!" states Eddie.
"Really?" asks a suspicious Rosie.
"Yeah, yeah! We've been practicing for weeks. E- Ace, show her our bit." states Ace, saving himself from saying the wrong name.
"On it, Eddie!" Eddie winks at Ace, before he grabs the desk chair. Eddie sits down on it with Ace on his lap.
"How are you feeling, Ace?" asks Eddie, while Ace's lips move to sync in with what Eddie said.
"It's been rough, kid." replies Ace with his mouth closed, while Eddie drinks a glass of water. Ace then begins to drool, giving off the effect he's letting out the water Eddie gulped down.
Rosie, however, is not amused. "If this is your way of trying to impress me, it's not working. And neither is this act."
"Tough crowd." states Ace.
"If you ask me, I think doing all that paperwork fried your brain. Maybe you need the day off."
"That sounds like fun!" says Eddie.
"Let me know when you're done pretending to be a kid." Rosie leaves the room in a huff.
"That was awfully nice of Rosie to give you a day off."
Ace puts his sweater covered hand under his chin. "Yeah, too nice. It's Rosie whose always said that crime never pays, justice never sleeps, and to never have chew toys on the job."
After reflecting, Ace tugs on Eddie's pants to get the latter's attention. "Hey, Eddie. Can you lend me a paw?"
"Sure thing, Ace!"
Using his newfound strength, Eddie holds up Ace. The latter then takes his own detective hat, putting it on his boyish head while Eddie now has his usual blue cap in Ace's body.
"Time to do what I love best." declares Ace.
"I think I know where this is heading! We're going to be sleuth hounds!" states Eddie with excitement.
"That's right. Kennel or high water, we're gonna find out what's going on with Rosie. Or my name isn't Ace Hart."
After a fade out, Ace is shown driving a green Packard. Eddie sticks his head out of the passenger window.
"There we were, the kid and me-" Ace narrates, but is interrupted.
"The kid and I." corrects Eddie. "It's a well known fact people often make the mistake of using an object pronoun when what they mean is the subject. You and me is acceptable in certain situations, but this was not one of them."
Ace looks at Eddie with annoyance. "The kid and me, out on the open road, with a fire hydrant on every street corner and alley ways filled with the bad stuff. You guessed it, broken squeaky toys. Temptation may be the name of the game, but we're on a mission."
The camera zooms in on Ace driving. "Now, you may be wondering. How am I driving in the pup's body? Well, let's just say I'm so thankful I had The Encyclopedia of All Living Things stored in my desk! Great paperweight, even better car seat!" Inside the car, it's revealed Ace is sitting on a very thick book.
In the puppet world, Eliot says "I gotta hand it to you, Ace. You're taking this whole thing like a champ."
"Yeah, well, it wasn't like I was given much of a choice." replies Ace, still driving. "It's a good thing I still have my muscle memory, no thanks to you."
"Come on! You can't still be mad at me." replies Eliot.
"I'm not mad. I just hate you."
"Is that any way to talk to the guy who helps you in a bind?" asks Eliot rhetorically.
"I think you've helped enough for one day." snarks Ace.
"Well, if that's the way you feel." Eliot proceeds to stop drawing, causing Ace to drive into a blank, white void.
"Ace, I don't think we're in Dog City anymore." says a worried Eddie.
"Okay, Eliot! You made your point." states Ace.
Eliot takes a pencil, which is placed above his ear. "And I'm about to make another one."
Although the road and background are restored, Ace is stopped by an Irish Setter cop.
"Oh, no!" shouts Eddie. "We're gonna be sent to the pound!"
"Don't worry, Eddie. I got this."
The cop approaches the driver's seat.
"What's the problem, officer? Speeding? Ran a red light? Forgot to put a hubcap on my car?"
"Don't play dumb with me, junior. You're too young to be operatin' a vehicle!" states the cop, in an Irish accent.
Ace looks at Eliot from the animation table in disbelief. "An Irish cop? Really, Eliot?"
"Just go along with it." assures Ace.
Back to the cartoon, Ace tells the cop "I'm no kid. I'm Ace Hart, private eye."
"Sure, and I model for Good Boys magazine." quips the cop.
"I got the hat to prove it." insists Ace.
"Wee one, it's time you stop playing pretend and let the real Ace Hart take over the wheel."
"M-m-me?" asks a nervous Eddie.
"Of course! It was awful nice of ya to give the pup some pointers, but you should wait a while before teachin' him more." The Irish Setter leaves the scene.
"You know, he has a point." states Ace.
"B-b-but I don't know how to drive!" exclaims Eddie.
"Simmer down, Eddie. Good ol' Ace will show you the ropes."
The scene cuts to Eddie now driving the car, with Ace sitting in the passenger seat. Eddie has managed to drive vertically without trouble.
"So far, so good." says Ace.
"Gee! I thought this driving stuff would be more difficult!"
Ace notices an area of the road where Eddie must make a U-turn.
"Okay, Eddie. Turn left!" instructs Ace.
"Like this?" Eddie steers the car, causing it to move to the right side of the street.
"No, my left!"
"Is this right?" asks Eddie, as he now goes on the left side.
"Right." Ace answers affirmatively.
"But, you said left." states Eddie, stopping the car.
"Right, I meant left." explains Ace.
"So, right?" inquires Eddie.
"No, left."
"Left?"
"Right!" proclaims Ace.
Eddie begins to crack. "You're confusing me!" He cries on the dashboard.
"Let's just take a walk." declares Ace.
Ace and Eddie step out of the car and leave it behind. The Irish Setter from earlier walks up to the Packard, before taking his mask off to reveal... Rosie!
"I knew that ventriloquism act didn't add up. Well, if Ace and Eddie think they can solve a mystery as each other, they got another thing coming. You don't want a day off, Ace? Fine. You can have a permanent vacation instead." Rosie uncharacteristically begins to laugh in an evil manner, as the first half of the episode concludes.