I love including dogs as a character's best friend... and there is no one better placed than a dog to bring mayhem into a story. (See Kiss Me in Fire Station Lane for a perfect example.) I write about dogs also because I love them! If all my dogs, deceased and present, came bounding up today to meet me, it would be a motley and beloved crew.
In memory’s eye I see my very first dog, a small red Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross. Jake trots to the top of the stairs when I arrive and gives me a...