Mostly fictional. Always fun. Definitely Gunner's fault. A collection of illustrated short stories about a black lab named Gunner and his tabby cat sidekick Tiger.https://gunnerthelab.com/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/01-the-great-acorn-heist/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/01-the-great-acorn-heist/Tiger devises a plan to raid the squirrels' acorn stash. Gunner's job: be the distraction. Gunner gets distracted by the distraction.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/02-40-acres-of-trouble/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/02-40-acres-of-trouble/Gunner discovers a mysterious trail into the hundred acres of woods next door. Tiger reluctantly follows to keep him alive. They find something unexpected.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/03-the-night-shift/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/03-the-night-shift/Strange sounds from the woods at night. Tiger investigates with cool composure from the windowsill. Gunner barks at his own reflection. Turns out it's just opossums having a party.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/04-mountain-dog-valley-cat/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/04-mountain-dog-valley-cat/The first Virginia winter hits hard. Gunner is thrilled (snow!). Tiger is horrified (snow.). Two very different approaches to the same cold day.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/05-the-porch-bandit/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/05-the-porch-bandit/Something keeps stealing food off the porch. Tiger sets traps. Gunner eats the bait. Every. Single. Time. The actual culprit — a raccoon — watches from the treeline, entertained.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/06-cow-tipping-point/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/06-cow-tipping-point/Young Gunner tries to befriend the cows. The cows are not interested. Tiger watches from a fence post and narrates like a nature documentary.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/07-the-chicken-caper/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/07-the-chicken-caper/Chickens and ducks escape the coop. Gunner charges in to help and makes everything spectacularly worse. Tiger herds three chickens back without moving five feet.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/08-grandpa-bears-last-stand/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/08-grandpa-bears-last-stand/A warm, funny tribute to old Bear — the grumpy brown mutt who didn't like anyone in his yard. Puppy Gunner keeps trying to play with him. Kitten Tiger sleeps through the whole thing on Bear's back.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/09-duck-duck-gunner/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/09-duck-duck-gunner/The ducks have taken over the pond and Gunner is sent to reclaim it. He ends up swimming laps with them instead. Tiger's plan B involves a garden hose.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/10-the-fifteen-acre-kingdom/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/10-the-fifteen-acre-kingdom/Tiger's origin story. How a tiny tabby kitten born on a Texas homestead decided that the big goofy black dog was, reluctantly, the best warm pillow in the world.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/11-the-beekeepers-apprentice/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/11-the-beekeepers-apprentice/The family gets their first bee hives. Gunner is fascinated and gets way too close. Tiger watches from a safe distance as Gunner learns the hard way that bees are not his friends.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/12-the-hive-mind/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/12-the-hive-mind/The bees have settled in and Tiger has developed a respectful distance. Gunner still hasn't learned. When one hive gets agitated, Tiger tries to warn Gunner with every cat signal he's got. Gunner interprets this as playtime.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/13-honey-heist/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/13-honey-heist/Harvest day. The smell of fresh honey fills the air. Tiger devises a plan to get a taste. Gunner just shoves his face where it doesn't belong. The boys try to help Dad extract honey while keeping both animals out of the operation. Nobody succeeds.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/14-the-great-migration/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/14-the-great-migration/The family packs up the East Texas homestead. Gunner thinks they're going to the vet. Tiger knows exactly what's happening and has opinions. A chaotic moving-day story.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/15-gholson-gardens/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/15-gholson-gardens/Tiger and Gunner adjust to one acre after fifteen. Tiger claims the entire garden as his territory. Gunner keeps digging up what Mom just planted. The orchard becomes their new adventure zone.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/16-the-long-drive-east/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/16-the-long-drive-east/The family moves to Virginia. Tiger rides in a crate like royalty. Gunner has his head out the window for 800 miles. Told from both perspectives.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/17-new-territory/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/17-new-territory/First day on 40 acres in Virginia. Gunner marks every single tree (it takes a while). Tiger finds the highest point on the property and declares himself lord of the mountain.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/18-the-invisible-fence/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/18-the-invisible-fence/The family buys an electric fence. Gunner gets his first zap and won't go outside for days. Tiger strolls in and out freely with maximum smugness.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/19-bens-big-idea/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/19-bens-big-idea/The youngest boy has a plan involving Gunner, a wagon, a hill, and zero adult supervision. Tiger sees it coming and tries to warn everyone by sitting directly in the path and glaring.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/20-the-woodshop-apprentice/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/20-the-woodshop-apprentice/The oldest boy is building something in the shop. Gunner 'helps' by laying on every tool. Tiger keeps batting screws off the workbench. The project gets done despite them.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/21-moms-day-off/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/21-moms-day-off/Mom tries to have a quiet morning. Tiger demands milk. Gunner demands pets. The boys need approximately forty-seven things. Gunner and Tiger accidentally team up to give her five minutes of peace — then immediately ruin it.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/22-dads-cloud/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/22-dads-cloud/The boys ask Dad what he does for work. Dad tries to explain cloud architecture. Gunner thinks they're talking about actual clouds. Tiger looks out the window at the sky, deeply unimpressed.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/23-the-dreamers-map/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/23-the-dreamers-map/The middle boy draws an elaborate treasure map of the property. Gunner and Tiger follow it. It leads to the middle boy's secret fort in the woods.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/24-the-christmas-ham-incident/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/24-the-christmas-ham-incident/Tiger devises his most ambitious plan yet: steal Christmas dinner. Gunner is recruited as muscle. The family catches them mid-heist. Gunner's face says sorry. Tiger's face shows zero remorse.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/25-the-fourth-of-july/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/25-the-fourth-of-july/Fireworks terrify Gunner. Tiger couldn't care less. A story about Tiger actually comforting Gunner, curling up beside him, even though he'd never admit it.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/26-the-first-snow/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/26-the-first-snow/Based on real events and real photos. Gunner sits in the snow like a majestic statue. Tiger steps in it once, shakes his paw in disgust, and goes back inside. Then comes back out because Gunner won't come in.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/27-the-garden-heist-of-spring/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/27-the-garden-heist-of-spring/Something is eating Mom's seedlings. Gunner is accused. Tiger is accused. It's actually deer, but Tiger frames Gunner anyway.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/28-operation-mailman/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/28-operation-mailman/Tiger becomes convinced the mailman is a spy. He recruits Gunner for a stakeout. Gunner loves the mailman. This creates significant operational conflict.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/29-the-creature-in-the-creek/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/29-the-creature-in-the-creek/Gunner finds something weird in the creek on the property. Tiger analyzes it from a safe distance. It's a snapping turtle. Nobody wins.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/30-when-gunner-met-the-bear/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/30-when-gunner-met-the-bear/A real black bear wanders onto the Virginia property. Gunner thinks it's a big dog. Tiger knows better. Tiger saves the day through sheer strategic brilliance and a well-timed hiss from high ground.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/31-the-one-about-grandpa/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/31-the-one-about-grandpa/A quieter, warmer story. Gunner remembers Dad's dad — the man who always had treats and a slow hand for petting. Tiger watched from across the room. A tribute told through the animals' eyes.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/32-why-tiger-stayed/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/32-why-tiger-stayed/All the other cats came and went. Tiger survived the country, the moves, the dogs, the coyotes, all of it. This is the story of why — and it has everything to do with a big, dumb, warm black dog who never once chased him.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gunnerthelab.com/stories/33-the-long-walk-home/https://gunnerthelab.com/stories/33-the-long-walk-home/Bear's eyes go cloudy. His hearing fades. The world gets quieter and blurrier, but the grumpy old alpha is too proud to ask for help. So Gunner gives it without being asked — walking beside Bear on hikes, guiding him back when he wanders. A story about showing up, staying close, and the quiet love between two dogs who never quite understood each other but never left each other's side.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT