Person: Janet Rudolph, editor of the Mystery Reader’s Journal and director of Mystery Readers International.
Name: Topper
Breed: Golden Retriever
How long has he been hanging out with you? 5 years.
Quirks or bad habits:  Topper loves apples. I have several apple trees on the property, and he eats the apples when they fall. When there aren’t any on the ground, he jumps against the trunk, shaking the tree and causing apples to fall. He loves his apples!

Topper doesn’t really walk, he prances, getting from A to B on his toes.
Where did Topper come from? I adopted Topper from a breeder when he was 8 months old. Apparently his hair was too curly, and I think he was too independent for show, so the breeder was willing to have him adopted out. Great move on her part.
How has he changed your life? Topper is a faithful companion, as most golden retrievers are. He’s always close by. He sits with me when I’m reading a book or at the computer. With all the books here in my house, copies of Spencer Quinn and David Rosenfeldt novels always come to the surface when Topper’s around. He does favor dog mysteries.
All my goldens have been special in different ways. Topper gets me to take him for walks on the beach, walks around the hills and generally walks anywhere and everywhere. Although he hadn’t met any cats before he came to me, he quickly adjusted. He’s good friends with Belle au Bois dormant, my Siamese, and they often sleep together. He ignores Barclay.
I can’t imagine life without a dog. Topper still acts like a puppy. He keeps me young, too!
Janet A. Rudolph is known as “The Mistress of Mystery.” She is the writer/producer for Murder on the Menu®, director of Mystery Readers International, editor of the Mystery Readers Journal, a teacher of mystery fiction, and has been a columnist for most of the mystery periodicals. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, theInternational Association of Crime Writers, the British Crime Writers Association, Sisters in Crime, and the American Crime Writers League. She has been on panels atBouchercon (the World Mystery Convention), Left Coast Crime, and several other mystery conventions. Janet was Fan Guest of Honor atMalice Domestic in Washington, D.C., and an invited participant in international writing conferences in Spain, England, and Cuba. She blogs at Mystery Fanfare and Dying for Chocolate.