The Dog You Chose

The Dog You Chose

by Nick A. Shishkov
ComedyPets & Animals

Opera of the Loyal Heart — The Canine Opera House (Complete Audiobook)

Behind the curtain of the LuxNoir Opera House stands a whole civilization — built by dogs, run by dogs, and devoted, above all, to the performance. In this complete audiobook, Nick A. Shishkov opens the doors of the canine opera house: the grand arrival and the velvet corridor, the rehearsal of vanities and the royal box, the stagehand's lament and the alley aria, the chandelier's secret and the costume vault — twelve acts that end, as everything in the LuxNoir Opera must, with the curtain that never falls. It is a world constructed with the care a master architect gives to a cathedral, where the echoes carry voices long after the original singers have gone silent. Chapters: 0:00:06 Series Preface 0:05:54 Introduction: The Civilization Behind the Curtain 0:11:54 Act I: The Grand Arrival 0:19:24 Act II: The Velvet Corridor 0:25:38 Act III: The Rehearsal of Vanities 0:31:02 Act IV: The Royal Box 0:35:58 Act V: The Stagehand's Lament 0:40:34 Act VI: The Alley Aria 0:45:15 Act VII: The Chandelier's Secret 0:49:58 Act VIII: The Costume Vault 0:54:17 Act IX: The Forgotten Archive 0:59:13 Act X: The Underground Overture 1:03:57 Act XI: The Final Performance 1:08:37 Act XII: The Curtain That Never Falls 1:14:16 Intermission Appendix: Notes from the Foyer 1:17:52 Author's Clarification 1:19:40 Author's Note Music between the acts — from the author's own notebook, in rotation: "Cold Geometry" · "Cathedral of Cedar" · "Amber Light" · "Bowl of Blue" · "Stray Bit of Fluff" · "Further than the Garden Gate" · "The Hallowed Vault". A classic instrumental score runs beneath the narration. Written by Nick A. Shishkov · Narrated by Benedetto · Produced for The Dog You Chose. The Dog You Chose — stories, songs, and a daily newspaper for the dogs who chose us.
Oct 13, 2026
1:20:52
Season 3

The Daily Companion — Audio Edition No. 8

The Daily Companion — Audio Edition No. 8 · Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Bryor season opens. Benedetto reads the front page — the benches claimed by seven and the First Sitting — then Violetta reads all eighteen Companion Signs. Mira tells four tales (Vesper the Whippet, Marlin the Portuguese Water Dog, Buttons the Boston Terrier, Mochi the Shih Tzu), the Weather Desk walks Lisbon, Sydney, Montreal, and Nairobi, and today's Dog Game is Fetch. Scratch files the Police Report — featuring the Bench Census — and the Barketplace. Madame de Pamplemousse takes the editorial chair ('In Praise of the Garden Bench') and the Book Page: You Decided to Get a Komondor, four paws. Bruno closes with 'On the First Morning of the Season.' Musical breaks, from the author's own notebook: 'Gulfport Groove' and 'Free Advice, Too Expensive.' The newspaper itself travels by email to subscribers every morning and lives on our Page — The Dog You Chose. Founding Members — the first 1,000 — join free. Everything we make lives at dogyouchose.com. All the news that's fit to fetch.
S3 · E8
Oct 13, 2026
36:47

The Daily Companion — Monday, October 12, 2026

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. The Monday Special — the first Monday edition. Benedetto opens with the Monday greeting from Gulfport — Pickles the Beagle comes home by chicken, following the smell of a roast two streets over, and Sunday's all-day rain becomes the Great Shake as Gulfport dries itself in unison. Violetta reads all eighteen signs on Talorin's last day, before the wheel turns to Bryor; Mira tells four tales and reads the Weather Desk; the Police Desk hears the witness who told it at length; Bruno files the first Monday Blues; and the Book Page gives You Decided to Get a Kerry Blue Terrier four paws. Two musical breaks, both first airings: '2-41' and 'Dangerous Game.' From The Daily Companion, the daily newspaper for dogs — dogyouchose.com
S3 · E7
Oct 12, 2026
38:32

The Daily Companion — Sunday, October 11, 2026

The Sunday edition. Benedetto opens with the Sunday greeting from Gulfport — Championship Sunday at the dog park, where Quill the Whippet takes the Fetch League final. Violetta reads all eighteen signs as Talorin's season closes; the Police Desk opens the Chow Chow's Ledger of Slights; the Treat Report prints The Dog Bar, 2300 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg, in full; and the Book Page gives You Decided to Get a Xoloitzcuintli five paws. Two musical breaks: the first airing of 'Survival of the Sharpest' and 'Nyam Nyam Right Now.' From The Daily Companion, the daily newspaper for dogs — dogyouchose.com
S3 · E6
Oct 11, 2026
37:04
Season 2

Book Review — Doberman

The panel reviews "You Decided to Get a Doberman" the only way they know how — by remembering the Dobermans who ran their lives. A night-watch executive who audits falling leaves at 2 a.m. and makes his human whisper "Secured" at every window, a duchess caught mid-pounce on a squeaky toy who insists she was meditating, a quality-control nose that reviews the groceries like fine wine, a doorbell preacher whose three-bark sermon stops video calls, and a hallway commissioner who stamps your passage — provisional approval, pending treat. Verdict: five paws out of five. Featuring the Doberman anthem, from the author's notebook. 📚 The book — You Decided to Get a Doberman (Kindle): https://a.co/d/0fIeUGGk 🔮 Find your dog's Companion Sign: https://dogyouchose.com 📖 The Companion Signs (book): https://a.co/d/0iHW0YxG 🏷️ Companion Sign dog tags: https://moloyaha.etsy.com The Daily Companion — live from Gulfport, Florida.
S2 · E3
Oct 11, 2026
7:17
Season 3

The Daily Companion — Saturday, October 10, 2026

The beach edition. Benedetto opens with the Saturday greeting from Gulfport — morning storms burning off, rip-current flags flying at the dog beach. Bramble the Pekingese audits the storm's deliveries on the front page; Violetta reads all eighteen signs; the Police Desk investigates the Case of the Vanishing Sandwiches; and the Book Page gives You Decided to Get a Chihuahua four paws. Two musical breaks: 'Pulpo Calamar' and the first airing of 'The Eight Legged Surprise.' From The Daily Companion, the daily newspaper for dogs — dogyouchose.com
S3 · E5
Oct 10, 2026
27:42
Season 2

Book Review — Xoloitzcuintli

The panel reviews "You Decided to Get a Xoloitzcuintli" the only way they know how — by remembering the Xolos who ran their lives. A furnace with ears who never takes a summer off, a duchess with a dermatologist and a sweater wardrobe, a nine-pound night watchman with a heating-pad heart, a refrigerator thief who could not be arrested, and a dog who ignored a man the way a lighthouse ignores a boat. Verdict: five paws out of five. Featuring the Xolo anthem, from the author's notebook. 📚 The book — You Decided to Get a Xoloitzcuintli (Kindle): https://a.co/d/08sdrvAn 🔮 Find your dog's Companion Sign: https://dogyouchose.com 📖 The Companion Signs (book): https://a.co/d/0iHW0YxG 🏷️ Companion Sign dog tags: https://moloyaha.etsy.com The Daily Companion — live from Gulfport, Florida.
S2 · E2
Oct 9, 2026
6:07
Season 1

Sign Special — LYRIK · December 13 – December 31

Sign Special — LYRIK · December 13 – December 31 LYRIK · The Amethyst Sign · December 13 – December 31 A special edition of The Dog You Chose. Most mornings, The Daily Companion reads all eighteen Companion Signs and moves briskly along — but every sign in the wheel deserves a portrait of its own, and this series takes them one at a time, in the order of the year. Lyrik is the eighteenth and final portrait: with this episode, the wheel is complete. Benedetto opens the paper from Gulfport, Florida. Violetta paints the full Lyrik portrait: the Storyteller of the pack, a dog running on the Play instinct and the Amethyst's mood of Creative Wonder — creative, expressive, and constitutionally incapable of letting an ordinary afternoon go un-narrated. Its motto: "What if..." Its habitat: the Coffee Shop. Its warning, delivered kindly: beware of falling in love with unfinished ideas. And the portrait closes with the sign’s lesson — finish the masterpiece. A musical break from the author’s own notebook: 'The Pack Is One.' Lyrik's readings run in the daily paper through December 31; on January 1 the wheel turns full circle to Veylor, and the year of signs begins again. Find your dog's sign at dogyouchose.com. From The Companion Signs by Nick A. Shishkov — the first horoscope ever written for dogs.
S1 · E18
Oct 9, 2026
7:44

Sign Special — ASHEN · November 23 – December 12

Sign Special — ASHEN · November 23 – December 12 ASHEN · The Smoky Quartz Sign · November 23 – December 12 A special edition of The Dog You Chose. Most mornings, The Daily Companion reads all eighteen Companion Signs and moves briskly along — but every sign in the wheel deserves a portrait of its own, and this series takes them one at a time, in the order of the year. Benedetto opens the paper from Gulfport, Florida. Violetta paints the full Ashen portrait: the Improviser of the pack, a dog running on the Trail instinct and the Smoky Quartz's mood of Resourceful Adaptability — adaptable, resourceful, and constitutionally incapable of accepting that a closed road ends the journey. Its motto: "We'll make it work." Its habitat: Anywhere. Its warning, delivered kindly: beware of confusing adaptability with direction. And the portrait closes with the sign's lesson — stay the course, and let your resourcefulness learn a destination. A musical break from the author's own notebook: 'Reach Straight Dung a Africa.' Ashen's readings run in the daily paper through December 12; on December 13 the wheel turns to Lyrik. Find your dog's sign at dogyouchose.com. From The Companion Signs by Nick A. Shishkov — the first horoscope ever written for dogs.
S1 · E17
Oct 9, 2026
7:15

Sign Special — CALDER · November 2 – November 22

Sign Special — CALDER · November 2 – November 22 CALDER · The Ruby Sign · November 2 – November 22 A special edition of The Dog You Chose. Most mornings, The Daily Companion reads all eighteen Companion Signs and moves briskly along — but every sign in the wheel deserves a portrait of its own, and this series takes them one at a time, in the order of the year. Benedetto opens the paper from Gulfport, Florida. Violetta paints the full Calder portrait: the Pursuer of the pack, a dog running on the Hunt instinct and the Ruby's mood of Relentless Drive — determined, persistent, and constitutionally incapable of treating an obstacle as anything but a suggestion. Its motto: "Keep going." Its habitat: the Workshop. Its warning, delivered kindly: beware of forgetting why the goal mattered. And the portrait closes with the sign's lesson — know when to stop, and set the tool down while the light is still good. A musical break from the author's own notebook: 'Ratatouille, Crêpe, Croissant.' Calder's readings run in the daily paper through November 22; on November 23 the wheel turns to Ashen. Find your dog's sign at dogyouchose.com. From The Companion Signs by Nick A. Shishkov — the first horoscope ever written for dogs.
S1 · E16
Oct 9, 2026
7:09
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