My Golden Retriever, Pickles, is the inspiration for my new dog detective mystery, THE BONE RANGER, which is about a dog that solves crimes that humans can’t.
Pickles came from a litter of nine puppies. He was the mischievous one: he playfully chased his brothers and sisters around the enclosure and tried to chew their tails. The breeder wanted us to give him a regal name: something that reflected his pedigree. Bit I wanted to call him Pickles because I knew the cheeky fellow would get into a lot of pickles. The breeder was horrified at such a silly name and insisted on putting Mr. Pickles on his registration certificate. Little did I know that Pickles would inspire me to write animal sleuth mysteries, as well as thrillers as L.A. Larkin.
Pickles is my best buddy. He’s with me when I work. We have long, adventurous walks together. He comes away on vacation with us. He’s family. He is also an endless source of ideas for my novels. Take his obsession with a fluffy toy duck. He doesn’t like me washing it. If I put his toy in the front-loading washing machine, he’ll remove it, run into the back yard, and attempt to bury it. It’s clear that he thinks his duck pongs to perfection. When I hang the clean duck on the line to dry, Pickles stares at it mournfully until I return it to him. He sleeps with his duck every night, his jaw resting on it. THE BONE RANGER opens with a tug-of-war over between Monty (the dog character) and Rose (the young detective), all because Rose wants to wash his duck. This first chapter establishes the humorous tone of the book and demonstrates their close and loving relationship.
My dog loves riding in my car. The back seats are flattened so he has a large space to himself. He sticks his nose out the window and lets the wind flap his ears and wobble his jowl. I jokingly call my little car the poochmobile. His favorite destination is a dog beach where the water is shallow. He’s a fishing dog. [ People often ask me how he learned to catch fish. I believe it is mostly through trial and error. He has learned not to move in the water, not even to wag his tail, in case he frightens the fish away. He waits for hours until a fish swims close enough for him to plunge his open jaws into the water. Pickles is obsessed with watching David Attenborough’s nature programs and he especially loves to watch the brown bears catch salmon. I wonder if he picked up any tips from the bears?
Pickles is a gentle dog. Golden Retrievers are known for their loving nature which is why they make excellent therapy and guide dogs. A few years ago, our house was being renovated so we moved into a rental. I set up an office at the rear of the house and worked from home, with Pickles snoozing at my feet. I was deep in concentration when suddenly Pickles leapt up and dashed to the back door, growling – something I had never seen him do. I thought that he might have heard a neighbor’s dog bark, or he had a bad tummy, so I let him out. He charged around the corner, snarling and snapping and by the time I caught up with him he had a man pinned against the fence. I called the police and the burglar was taken away. Pickles didn’t hurt the intruder, but there is no doubt in my mind that Pickles would defend the people he loves. This experience helped me write a scene in THE BONE RANGER when Monty successfully defends Rose from her attacker.
Pickles is almost twelve years old. Recently, we adopted a rescued Golden Retriever we have called Lilly, and she’s three years younger than Pickles. Lilly has given Pickles a new lease of life. They play like puppies. Who knows – perhaps I will introduce a girlfriend for Monty in my next dog detective mystery?
In the meantime, Pickles is busy paw-signing copies of THE BONE RANGER in bookshops. If you follow him on social media, he might appear in a bookstore near you or you can contact him about doing a virtual paw signing.
On Facebook @authorLouisaBennet
On Twitter @MontyDogD
On Instagram @PicklesandLilly
On Goodreads Louisa Bennet
[front cover of The Bone Ranger]
