Thanks for playing! I can't take credit for the music (see the description for that credit) but I did make all the art!
Haha, I'm about to defend bad game design, but I feel like frustration is required in classic point and click adventures. I used to get stuck for hours on these things. Anyway, hint below! ***Stop reading now if you don't want hints***
Still reading? Ok, if you are stuck early on, make sure you find and click on all three dogs. Opening their hiding places is only the first step, you still need to click on them. After that, just be sure to continue and investigate any object on screen. Many items "unlock" as you gain a need for them. The ladder however, is a red herring. And also a sign that I ran out of time to make any additional areas.