Mutt Mysteries

   Barks and woofs overlaid snarls and growls coming from the shaded depths. Adam followed the noises, scanning the ground for a hefty stick. Each one he chose broke apart, raining particles of rot onto his shoes. He took the ball launcher out of his pocket. The sound of rattling chain link alarmed him, and he extended the handle as he ran to the park’s boundary. Not a sturdy weapon, but it served. Mary approached and retreated from the fence repeatedly, barking furiously. On the other side a yipping and whining animal tracked between a mound of leaves and the fence. It snarled, lunging at the fence with teeth bared as if to attack Mary. “GEE-Yah! GEE-Yah!” Adam screamed in the time-tested bellow his father taught him that never failed to scatter unfriendly—and friendly—dogs. Adam dropped the flinger and used both hands to throw sticks at the animal. From his recent park kiosk lesson, Adam identified the threat as a coyote. Two runners drawn by the noise also ...

Hi, Jayne. Thanks for asking questions about my Mutt Mysteries story, “This is Not a Dog Park.” Tell us about the furry members of your family. The last furry one in my home is my aging dog Current. He’s the best, especially now that he no longer runs full tilt all the time. He’s quite a laid back old guy now, although walks and his backyard life in a big, treed yard brings out the pup in him. He’s a mutt with predominant hound tendencies. He began life with all black fur, but now he’s much grayed in the face and up the fore- and hind legs. He has sweet deep brown eyes. How did your dog(s) pick you to be his/her/their fur-ever mom? We selected Current as a puppy for my then 12-year old daughter. She wanted a puppy, and I thought our “puppy project” would be a perfect way for her to have a wholesome, young teenager focus and distract her from pre-teen angst. It worked! She’s nurturing anyway, so Current got a great mom. Once my daughter left for college, my son was happ...

     "W hat’s all the fuss?” Catt Ramsey asked her Yorkshire terriers, Cagney and Lacey, who stood on their hind legs barking at something out the bay window. Catt slid her desk chair toward the window of the small apartment she rented over her sister’s cottage in Virginia Beach. A man approached, taking the outdoor stairs two at a time. After a few quick knocks, the man pushed opened the screen door. “Is this the dog-walking service?” Catt recognized the man. Brock Randall was a city council member who’d voiced his opinion to the local media about annoying residents who criticized the council over animal rights. “Yes, Mr. Randall. I’m Catt Ramsey, owner of the Woof-Pack Dog Walkers. How may I help you?” “Have we met?” “No. I’ve seen you on the news. How can I help you?”      “I’d like to hire your service.” Cagney and Lacey jumped from the window seat to the floor.  In tandem, they made their way toward Brock and began sniffing his s...

Tell us about the furry members of your family? Luke and Lena are both shepherd mixed and three years old. They are named after my husband’s grandparents.  How did your dogs pick you to be their fur-ever mom? We found Lena first in the city. She won our hearts with her beauty and smartness. She’s observant and pays attention to everything. We knew she would be a good fit for our family and property. Just two weeks later came Luke from the country. When we first saw him he was a little thing trying to keep up with the bigger dogs. We always say city girl, country boy about the two of them.  What is your dog’s favorite toy? They love anything that squeaks or makes noise.  Is the dog in your story in To Fetch a Thief based on your dogs? Luke and Lena are mentioned but they do not play a big role in the story.  Where is your dog when you write? They are by my side usually resting. How long did it take you to write your story? I wrot...

     "W ell, isn’t that odd?” Meg Gordon paused at the foot of a crepe myrtle tree and stared at the collection of colorfully painted rocks assembled around its trunk. They ranged in size from a Peppermint Patty to a decent-sized pancake. Each rock commemorated a neighborhood dog who had crossed the rainbow bridge. Officially it was called the Haverford Community Garden; unofficially The Dog Gone Garden. Today, there was an empty space where one rock should have been, a green and yellow rock that held a special place in Meg’s heart. There was nothing more than a small muddy hole there now. “Where did Scruffles’ rock go?” she asked her dog, Cannoli.      The tawny terrier mix responded by wagging his tail as he looked around in search of his best friend. Scruffles was a long-haired dachshund who had belonged to their elderly neighbor Mrs. Bennett. He had escaped from his yard and been squished by a car a few months ago, leaving many broken hearts b...

Tell us about the furry members of your family . We currently have two pound puppies. Tiller is a tawny beast (was supposed to be 30 pounds . . . he’s currently over 48 and according to the vet is about to hit a 2nd growth spurt!) and Scout is a rusty-coated little rascal. Only four months old. I don’t think (hope!) he’s going to be over 25 pounds. How did your dog(s) pick you to be his/her/their fur-ever mom? Tiller was an emergency re-home situation. It was love at first sight. He was only eight weeks old and a friendly, wriggly puppy. Scout was in a pack of Puerto Rican street dogs that had just shown up at the Hope for Life shelter. I happened to be dropping off some donations. Six of the puppies jumped at the gate and competed for my attention. Scout hung back a little and looked timid and scared. That strategy worked and stole my heart. (For the record, he is anything BUT timid and scared! He's a feisty little thing!) What is your dog’s favorite toy ? The cur...

     A my Reynolds set the box of canned goods on the kitchen counter. She caught her breath and stared through the doorway into their empty dining room. Hundreds of boxes still needed unpacking. She brushed away loose strands of her auburn hair that had escaped from her ponytail. A dog barked in the distance, and her small Jack Russell terrier, Darby, raced through the downstairs and stood with her paws on the windowsill to survey her new territory and see what she was missing. Amy gently tapped on the window, sending Darby off to check the view from the living room. Something looked odd to Amy under the window. Leaning over, she ran her hand across the painted baseboard. One end jutted out too far from the wall. She sighed. Another thing in this house that would need to be fixed. Amy pushed the baseboard back in place, and the wood shifted. She tugged at the corner, and it separated easily from the wall. Flipping it over in her hand, she noticed there were no nai...

Tell us about the furry members of your family. I have a pair of Jack Russell Terriers from the same litter. The dynamic duo includes Disney, the brunette, and her brother Riley who looks a lot like Petey from the “Our Gang Comedies.” They are high energy, inquisitive little dogs. And they keep us on our toes. How did your dog pick you to be his fur-ever mom? We had two older dogs who passed within three months of each other. Our house was so lonely without them. We went looking one day at puppies. My husband picked up Disney, and I picked up Riley. We couldn’t decide, so both of them joined our family. They are sister and brother from the same litter. What is your dog’s favorite toy? These two are obsessed with sock monkey toys. We have about ten of them around the house. They are JRTs, so everything is a game to them. Is the dog in your story in To Fetch a Thief based at all on your dog? It is. It’s based on my little female JRT. She’s a bundle of energy, a gr...