Wednesday, March 22, 2023

She’s Gone to the Dogs - a guest blog by Margaret Mizushima

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: You all know I love dogs. And I love mysteries. I also love small towns and danger in the wild outdoors. So I was astounded I'd never run across Margaret Mizushima's Timber Creek K-9 series until recently. It presses all of my buttons (plus, there's a simmering will-they-won't-they romance that develops in the background.) 

Those of you who were a little faster on the ball than I will be delighted to hear Margaret's latest, STANDING DEAD, is out now, and those of you who are saying, "Ooo, sounds good..." are in luck - STANDING DEAD is the eight book covering the adventures of Officer Maggie Cobb, handsome veterinarian  Cole Walker, and K-9 Robo, so there's a lot of great reading you can catch up on!

You might guess a writer who has been praised for her realistic, heart-felt portrayal of a working K-9 German Shepard and her relationship with her handler must have a lot of experience with canine friends. And you'd be right! Margaret is here to tell us about some of the memorable dogs in her life, and how those good boys and girls helped shape her award-winning fiction.

 

 

 When I married a veterinarian, I knew he loved animals, but I didn’t foresee that he would become a dog collector over the years. If I’d been paying attention, though, I would have read the signs. During vet school and before we married, Charlie adopted two unwanted dogs and then found them loving homes. After we married, he brought one black Labrador retriever into our home while I contributed two black half-Siamese cats. Black fur everywhere!

 

 

After forty-one years of marriage, we’ve lived with and loved countless pets, and we’ve also collected countless memories and stories. The first that comes to mind features a tri-colored Australian shepherd named Bear. Like so many of our dogs, Bear came to us through our vet clinic. Shy and sensitive, he preferred to lie at our feet or be petted rather than to work cattle or sheep like other herding dogs. When we realized how afraid he was of livestock, we gave up on training him and let him stay in the yard instead of going up to the barn. He soon became very attached to our five-year-old daughter.

 

One day, Charlie set up electric fencing in the open space next to our house so that we could graze sheep on the grass and weeds there. After releasing a ram and four ewes, he decided to leave the stock trailer in the middle of the enclosure to provide shade. As he worked to set up the trailer for shelter, he didn’t notice that our daughter had ducked under the fence and was running out to join him. But she caught the ram’s eye, and soon that big fellow squared off to charge.

 

Charlie lifted his gaze in time to see the ram charge, but he was too far away to intervene. As Charlie began to run and yell, Bear streaked under the fence and faced off that ram. Although frightened and trembling, that courageous dog saved his girl. You can bet he got extra treats that day.

 

Another story comes to mind about our Rottweiler named Ilsa. This dog came to us through our clinic at a time when our oldest was a latchkey, elementary-schooler and our youngest a toddler. Originally, we thought Ilsa would be a great dog for protection. But then a youngster in our community became lost during a family outing in the mountains and wasn’t found until much too late. So my husband and I decided to train Ilsa in Search and Rescue just in case one of our girls strayed from our campsite when we took a trip to the mountains.

 

 

Ilsa took to SAR training like she was born to it. Rottweilers are herding dogs by nature and when socialized and trained correctly, they want to assist their humans. Ilsa used a combination of air scenting and ground tracking as she became more and more skilled in finding people. Thank goodness we never had to ask Ilsa to search for a lost child. But during her training she was great at finding our kids in the yard when we asked them to hide before we shouted, “Ready or not, here she comes!”

 Little did I know that over twenty years later, I would turn to fiction writing and create a German shepherd character named Robo who was proficient in tracking, narcotics detection, and patrol. The Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries feature Deputy Mattie Cobb, her K-9 partner Robo, and a veterinarian named Cole Walker. Together they solve crimes that impact their fictional mountain community of Timber Creek, Colorado. There are eight books in the series, including this month’s new release, Standing Dead. I invite you to join Mattie, Robo, and Cole on their latest adventure.

 

Dogs can be our companions, our support animals, our helpers, and our protectors. And for this, all they want in return is love, food, and shelter. Roger Caras once said, “Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” I think dog-lovers would agree with Caras. Do you have a story about a special dog or pet in your life?


Deputy Mattie Cobb and her sister, Julia, travel to Mexico to visit their mother, but when they arrive, they discover that she and her husband have vanished without a trace. Back in Timber Creek, Mattie finds a chilling note on her front door telling her to look for “him” among the standing dead up in the high country.      The sheriff’s department springs into action and sends a team to the mountains, where Mattie’s K-9 partner, Robo, makes a grisly discovery—a body tied to a dead pine tree. Mattie is shocked when she realizes she knows the dead man. And then another note arrives, warning that Mattie’s mother is in desperate straits. In a last-ditch gambit, Mattie must go deep undercover into a killer’s lair to save her mother—or die trying.

 

 

 

Margaret Mizushima writes the award winning and internationally published Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries. She serves as past president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and was elected 2019 Writer of the Year by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. She and her husband recently moved from Colorado, where they raised two daughters and a multitude of animals, to a home in the Pacific Northwest. Find her on Facebook, on Twitter as @margmizu, on Instagram and on her website www.margaretmizushima.com.

70 comments:

  1. Congratulations, Margaret, on your newest book. I have to agree with Julia . . . this series definitely pushes all the right buttons!

    We had golden retrievers when we were first married. Rex and Gina were both sweet-natured and gentle but they loved roaming around the neighborhood . . . they’d climb the fence to get out of the back yard [always at night] and, because John worked the night shift at the police department, I would be the one that had to go chase them down and bring them home again. Of course, once the children came along they were tireless in their zeal at watching over the Little Ones . . . .

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    1. Thank you for your comment, Joan! Those goldens are full of energy and love their family. Wonderful dogs! (But then...aren't they all?)

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  2. Congratulations on your recent book release. I grew up with cats but allergies won out.

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    1. Thank you, Dru! Yes, those allergies creep up on us. Thankfully, I haven't developed an allergy to animals yet! Thanks for all you do to support writers and books!

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  3. Congratulations, Margaret. Wonderful that you and Charlie have been able to save and nurture so many dogs.

    We are cat people here. Our current rescue, Martin, is a big sweet guy who doesn't show much interest in going outside (good - we have lost a few in the wicked out of doors, and I'm all done with that kind of heartbreak). But he's a fierce basement hunter and dedicated to keeping the house free of mice!

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    1. Thank you for adding a comment, Edith! Martin sounds like a wonderful guy. I love cats too and miss my Katydid very much. She lived to be almost nineteen and was a wonderful companion! Also a mouser!

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  4. We are dog and cat people, although right now we are “pet less” after our last sweet dog crossed the rainbow bridge. We always had wonderful pet sitters, but we could tell our absence was hard on our furry family members, and right now we still want to travel while we can. This series sounds like one both hubby and I would like. Congratulations on your latest addition. And wonderful that you and your husband have taken in so many dogs (and cats).

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    1. Thank you for your comment, Elizabeth. I know what you mean about travel and pets. Our Hannah doesn't do very well when we're gone and does best if she can stay in her own environment. We too have been lucky to find excellent pet sitters though it still limits our desire to leave them.

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  5. Congratulations on your latest release! I'm not sure how I missed you all these years, but I plan to remedy that now.

    Dogs are amazing. I had a German Shorthaired Pointer who was a natural at finding toddlers. I did try to have him trained for SAR, but he was petrified of loud noises - yes, he was a rescue because he was gunshy - instead he became a therapy dog and enjoyed a long, fulfilling life.

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    1. Oh those GSPs are such loving and caring dogs. High energy but that can be managed. Thanks so much for your comment, and I hope you enjoy the Timber Creek K-9 mysteries!

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    2. What a fantastic career change for your pup. ~Lynda

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  6. MARGARET: Congratulations on your newest Mattie & Robo adventure! I enjoyed reading STANDING DEAD a few weeks ago.

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    1. Hi Grace! Thanks so much for reading the book and glad you enjoyed it. Hope to see you again this fall at Bouchercon!

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  7. Your life sounds as exciting as your books! I can't wait to read your K-9 series and thanks Julia for the recommendation.

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    1. Thanks so much for reading the blog post and for your interest in the Timber Creek K-9 mysteries!

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  8. Congratulations on the new book Margaret! Love the blog as I'm a pet person too. We also had a rescued Aussie who was my soulmate dog and very nervous about livestock:)

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    1. Thank you for your comment, Lucy! Those Aussie's make good, loving pets too, don't they?

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  9. Congratulations on your new release! I can't wait to jump into your books. I have two standard poodles, Jazz and Louie. Jazz is a mighty huntress. We're training her to hunt moles. Louie barks at the deer from our fenced yard, but the deer give him the stink eye and continue grazing in the neighbor's bushes.

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    1. Oh I love standard poodles! They are so soft and cuddly! Jazz and Louie sound perfect. Thanks so much for reading this post, and I hope you enjoy the series!

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  10. Margaret, congratulations on your new book. Your series sounds exactly like my kind of stories. We love animals, especially dogs.

    When I met my husband, I had a large German Shepherd cross breed whom I had trained in several K-9 courses including off-leash and obstacle. My husband's first words to me were, "I've always wanted a dog like that."

    We've been married for 42 years and our 4th GS dog crossed the rainbow bridge in December. I have stories about each one, but the first one I had, when I was single, then a young wife, then a mother, is the one I have the most stories about. (Sigh.)

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    1. I know those GSDs are special and sounds like your first one left you with some powerful memories. Thank you for your comment, and I hope you enjoy the series.

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  11. What a great blog post. I loved reading your stories about two of the dogs who have helped influence Robo's character. Dogs truly are amazing animals! You have a wonderful series, Margaret! I loved reading "Stand Dead" and I look forward to your next book.

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    1. Thank you for reading the books and this post, Kathleen. I love reading your books too! I agree that dogs are amazing and have loved getting to watch you train your narcotics detection dogs over the years!

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  12. I'll have to look for your books, Margaret, congratulations! I was lucky enough to have Marley (pictured with me), my sweet girl, for 6 1/2 years. She came to me as a local rescue and had lived with a large family and another, very dominant, golden retriever. The rescue folks thought she was too shy and should be separated from the other dog. Her nature was love--she loved all people and all dogs and wanted to be friends with everyone. She almost never barked (maybe 5 times over the yeas I had her), but she would purr when she was happy, a soft, unforgettable grunting sound. My son called her Gruntilda. I truly won the dog lottery when she came into my life and wish she had been able to stay a little longer.

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    1. Gillian, I loved reading about Marley! Thanks so much for your comment, and I hope you enjoy my books!

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  13. Greatly enjoy this series, Margaret, and will be looking for Standing Dead! One of my currently favorite dogs belongs to a friend of mine. My friend loves German shepherds and after her last one passed away, she was hesitant to get another one. But a few years ago, a hoarder situation (50+ dogs) in North Carolina caught her attention. My friend lives in Delaware, but she and her husband met a rescue worker in Virginia for a meet and greet with a shy GS female. They took her home with them, named her Gretchen, and found she was very anxious--hated being alone. Fast forward to now, Gretchen is a therapy dog, loves visiting hospitals and nursing homes, and is just a wonderful, gorgeous, red-coated GS girl!

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    1. Oh my, this is a wonderful story! Thanks so much for your comment, Flora, and thank you for reading the books!

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  14. What a sweet story about Bear. I've had a couple dogs in my life. The current one is Koda, a rescue greyhound. My best story, however, comes from my childhood. My grandparents' neighbors had a shaggy mutt, probably some sort of sheepdog mix, named Muggs. Muggs and I were pals. I played with him whenever I visited, which was often. One day, my dad got mad and me for something and raised his arm to spank me. Muggs jumped up onto his arm and gave an uncharacteristic soft growl. The message was clear: Don't you hit my girl! LOL

    Needless to say, my dad collapsed laughing and I was not spanked.

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    1. Wonderful story, Liz! We all need a Muggs in our lives! Thanks so much for your comment!

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  15. I come from a long line of cat people; the one dog I've had in my adult life suffered from my not knowing how to train him. It was not a happy relationship. But I enjoy reading about dogs and their people, and I'm off to find your books, Margaret! Congrats on your latest release.

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    1. Thanks so much for your comment and for your interest in my series, Amanda! Much appreciated!

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  16. I am absolutely delighted to discover this series, Margaret! I can't believe I haven't stumbled upon it before. As my son's plus one observed upon meeting us in our house with five rescue cats, two rescue dogs, and a flock of wild lovebirds that we tend outside, my house is an animal sanctuary and I wouldn't have it any other way.

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    1. Sounds so wonderful, Jenn! Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today and for your interest in the series. I hope you enjoy the Timber Creek K-9 mysteries!

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  17. I just looked for Margaret's books and found that the first five books are part of Audible Plus. They are in my Audible library right now and I will be listening to book #1 by tomorrow!! YAY.

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    1. Oh, yay, thanks for the tip, Judy! I will be adding those to my Audible Library asap!

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    2. Judy, yay, yay, yay! Thanks so much for looking for the books on Audible and for leaving this comment! Much appreciated!

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  18. Welcome welcome--and as you know, I love this book! And awww...those are great stories. We had many many pets, but one Irish Setter in particular, the very ladylike and proper Penny, accompanied my sister Liz out riding one day, and the sun began to set. (We were not allowed to ride after sunset) And as LIz tells it, she and her pony were about to across a country road when Penny dashed out in front of them, barking like crazy, and got hit by the car that would have hit Liz and ..oh, gosh what was her pony's name? Our parents weren't home (that's why Liz sneaked out) and my other sister Nina and I buried Penny in a very solemn ceremony in a back field before they got home. I must have been...14? Could that be?

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    1. Oh my, what a story, Hank. Penny was a true heroine that day. I can imagine the sorrow you all must have felt. Thanks so much for reading and supporting my books; I truly appreciate it! Hugs

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  19. Hi Margaret!! You know how much I love this book! Wonderful characters, compelling back story, the fabulous dogs, and so suspenseful! I literally walked around the house house reading because I couldn't put the book down. Can you give us a little synopsis?

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    1. Debs, that was on me - I've just added the cover copy to the blog.

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    2. Thank you, Julia and Debs! And thanks so much for reading and supporting Standing Dead, Debs! I appreciate the opportunity to be your guest on Jungle Red.

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  20. There are SO many animal lovers on JRW! Now I'm wondering why more authors aren't featuring dogs in their fiction - I'm going to guess it's because 1) in order to be integral, the dogs ought to be working and 2) most of us don't have any idea what it's like to train and handle those dogs.

    For instance, my Shih Tzu's most adventurous outing involves sneak raids in my neighbor's compost pile in the fall, after she's cleared out her garden. I suppose I could have Kingsley show up with a head clutched in his mouth instead of a semi-decayed winter squash, but realistically, he's going to be MUCH more invested in the vegetable.

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    1. Love your story about Kingsley! In Burning Ridge, the fourth Timber Creek K-9 mystery, one of Cole's dogs brings his daughter a severed foot in a charred boot. And lately I read about feet in floating tennis shoes washing up on a beach about forty miles from my home. These things happen, and dogs sometimes find them! A good start to mystery in my opinion.

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  21. Sadly, I'm allergic to most pets. But I enjoy reading about them in novels.

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    1. Those allergies are the worst! It's good that books can take the place of having that pet hair and dander in your home. Thanks for your comment, Mark!

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  22. Margaret, these stories are amazing! I am sure that your daughter is an adult now. I wonder if she remembers that incident or if she was too young when that happened and does not remember? Some people remember their childhood before age 5 and some people remember their childhood after age 5.

    Love reading about wonderful dogs like yours. About seven years ago, a relative adopted a puppy who was the runt of a pack of feral dogs and was abandoned. And a few months ago another puppy followed my relative home. Despite searches for the owner, no one claimed the puppy so my relative adopted this puppy.

    Our family loves dogs. I remember the stories about hearing dogs. The hearing dog would wake up the Deaf parent when the baby is crying. When the door bell rings, the hearing dog will let the deaf person know.

    There are so many wonderful stories about dogs that I can share here.

    And congratulations on your novel. I look forward to reading your novel.

    Diana

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    1. Diana, thanks so much for your comment. As a retired speech pathologist, I was very interested when dogs started being trained as support animals for people with severe hearing loss. Another wonderful way that dogs support their humans! Thanks so much for your interest in Standing Dead, and I hope you enjoy it!

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    2. Margaret, you are the third mystery novelist whose previous work was in speech pathology. Amazing! Thank you.

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  23. I am so excited to have discovered a yummy new series! And, even better, with dogs! Can't wait to get started reading.

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    1. Judi, thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the series!

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  24. Congratulations on your new release! I love books featuring dogs and cats. I had a black lab and she had was born with one of her back legs shorter than the other. She was a really good dog and she didn't know there was anything wrong with her. She didn't let it stop her from doing whatever she wanted. I still miss her.

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    1. Don't you love the way animals just adapt to what they're born with? Thank you so much for your comment!

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  25. I've loved all our dogs even though they eventually break my heart. We've always had some kind of terrier or terrier mix beginning with an Airedale and down to a Jack Russell/corgi mix now. Years ago we were camping in the Gila wilderness in New Mexico. Our adventurous two year old was standing in a gulch, holding up his hands as in "pull me out." Our Airedale strolled by, plucked the apple out of Boy's hand, and kept on going. Yep. He loved his apples. Boy and Dog loved their faux wars for years.

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    1. Very cute story! Our yellow lab loved to eat the apples that fell from our trees even though she over ate every year and got sick! Some of us never learn. LoL Yes, the heartbreak from losing a beloved pet is real. Thanks so much for your comment!

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  26. Margaret, congratulations on your newest Timber Creek K-9 mystery. I have this series on my list of ones to get to, as I love dogs and how well they can work with people in rescue. And, how wonderful that you and your husband have taken in so many dogs over the years from his vet practice.

    Speaking of rescue, we currently have our second senior Brittany Spaniel rescue dog, Lulu. She lived for too many years a a breeder in a puppy mill. All we want to do now is give her the best life she can have and the one she's always deserved. The first Brittany rescue we had, Coco, came to the National Brittany Rescue and Adoption Network from a man who had owned her for eleven years, since she was a puppy, but that man wanted to have a different lifestyle and sail or some sort of water activity. We were heartbroken for Coco that he could abandon her after so long. We only had her for a year before she died, but my husband fell in love with her fast and hard, and we were both sad to see her go so soon. Lulu was more of a challenge settling in, as Coco had been used to being a "home" dog, inside and all. Lulu took about four months to really trust either of us, and she made me her person. It took a full year before she finally trusted that this was her home. We've had other dogs, which were really rescues, too. A cocker-spaniel named Barry found by my sister-in-law wandering the streets of Louisville, a mixed breed dog named Fella saved from wandering our neighborhood, and our Australian Cattle Dog named Abbie given to my daughter by a boyfriend in high school . Abbie became my dog when our daughter went to college, and we had her fifteen years.

    Oh, and we found out just how amazing some dogs are at finding people when my granddaughter was three years old. My daughter and son-in-law had a Newfoundland dog named Hank. My daughter and little granddaughter were outside in the garden when my daughter turned around to do something for a couple of minutes. In that short time, Isabella had taken off and was nowhere to be seen. Ashley told Hank to find Izzie and her took off. He found her near their pond and held onto her jacket after barking to let Ashley know he'd found her. I've loved Newfoundlands ever since.

    I just got news from my daughter that they had to have Lucy, their sixteen-year-old pug, put down today. I had kept Lucy at times, and we all loved her so, but we knew her days were numbered here lately. The vet came to their house to do it, and Lucy passed with her mommy and daddy with her in her familiar surroundings. I love that vets come to the house to do this in many places.

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    1. Kathy, your stories show how much you and your family love dogs. Thanks so much for sharing these wonderful pets with us. Hank sounds like a very remarkable dog indeed. In fact, all of them do. You've helped these dogs so much, and I bet the rewards are great! Thanks so much for your comment!

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  27. I raised 9 puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind in Northern California. Dawn, a Golden Retriever, returned to us when she didn't make the cut. True to her breed, she loved people, smiling widely to greet them. Bred and trained not to be aggressive. Until one night when I was a teenager, and was home alone. Beloved family friends came by to visit. Dawn wouldn't let them in the house, growling which we didn't know she could do. It was the only time she ever did that. She knew I was alone. She lived to 14, deeply loved and missed.

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    1. Oh my goodness, Dawn was a special dog after all, wasn't she? Raising pups for guide dog training is such an important job, but I'm sure it's hard to give them up when it's time to release them. I'm glad Dawn was able to come back to you. I loved this story. Thank you so much for sharing!

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  28. Hello Margaret! I'm so pleased to meet you and let you know I adore your series. You're one of the authors whose books I buy as soon as they're published, so I've already read Mattie and Robo's latest adventure. In addition to reading to myself, I often read passages aloud to my husband, most often ones involving the amazing Robo. I've learned a ton about police and SAR dogs from you, and it all fascinates me.

    For those of you who enjoy Margaret's books, I suggest checking out Virginia Lanier's bloodhound mysteries, Death in Bloodhound Red being the first. I was absolutely fascinated by Ms. Lanier's knowledge of tracking dogs. I love a good mystery, and when I can increase my knowledge on a subject it's a definite plus.

    I've been fortunate to have animals in my life for most of my 73 years - dogs, cats, turtles, fish, and they've enriched my life tremendously. Two specific precious critters have been my tuxedo cat, Willy, who helped me come through a suicidal depression almost 30 years ago, and Maren, who five years ago saw me through my recovery from a catastrophic fall when I ended up on life support. ~ Lynda







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    1. Lynda, thanks so much for sharing about your pets. And thank you for reading the books! I'm so glad you enjoy them. Best wishes to you!

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  29. P.S. Huge thanks and appreciation to vets and techs who care for our furry family members. Our beloved vet recently retired, but he cared for our herd of cats as though they were his own ~Lynda

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    1. Aww...thank you for that. Vets appreciate those who care for their pets!

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  30. Love Mattie and Robo - one of my favorite series!
    Mary C

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    1. Thank you so much for reading the books, and I'm so glad you enjoy them! Thank you for your comment!

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  31. Yay Margaret! Another book! I have loved every book in this series and hope you can continue it for lots more books!!

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    1. Thanks so much! I appreciate you reading the books and am so glad that you enjoyed them!

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