What Inspired You to Write the Must Love Dogs Series?

I first came up with the Must Love Dogs series with Rescue Me.  I never intended for it to be a series, but then the story for Rescue US came along and I was off.    The series itself came about over a series of walks along the creek.  We have friends who have worked with a dog rescue here in Carlisle called Furry Friends.  They rescue dogs from the woods and parks, help lost dogs get back to their owners, and place dogs in forever homes.   One morning I was walking with Heather and her dogs along the creek here in town and we got to talking about dogs and the organization.  That conversation got my mind running and sometimes that’s all it takes.

There’s another reason for these stories.  See, other authors, like my friend Amy Lane, write about dogs because they have them and love them so very much.  Her Freckles story is amazing.   Anyway, I love writing about dogs because I can’t have one.  Dominic is highly allergic.  So I let my imagination take me to a world where I can have a dog like Rudolph.  These stories are a love letter to dogs and to something that I’m not able to have.

For the record, it’s okay though. I’d rather have Dominic… he’s house trained… at least most of the time.   😊

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season no matter what you celebrate!!!

Alex blinked when he truly realized he was holding a dog. “How did you do that?” he asked. “You just gave her to me and….” He could feel his tension rising.

“You were comfortable, and she’s happy with you.” Luther gently stroked his shoulder. “You aren’t going to hurt her, and she likes you.”

“She does?” All the dogs he’d met growing up had tried to jump on him to push him down. They barked and raced at him like they wanted to chase him away. Dolly was sweet, and she slowly turned her head, then rested it against his chest.

“She’ll stay right there for as long as you want to pet her,” Luther said quietly before taking Dolly and gently setting her back in the enclosure. “You realize you held a dog? And I think you liked it.”

No one ever teased Alex, but Luther seemed to be. For a second, he wondered if Luther was picking on him, but that smile had returned.

“Okay. I guess I did.” Alex smiled to himself. He and Palmer had been dealing with his anxiety issues for a while, and they had agreed that Alex should try working on just one of them to start. Alex had chosen dogs because he passed by the veterinary office and the shelter every day on his way to work at a grocery store corporate office, where he was in charge of store payouts.

“How about another?” Luther asked. “This is Rudolph. He’s mostly Jack Russell terrier. He was brought in because his owner passed away. Her son brought him here to get rid of him.”

Alex found himself almost unable to talk. “You mean he just threw away this little guy?”

“He did. From what Mitchell said—Mitchell runs the shelter and is the vet up the street—Rudolph here hated the son with a passion, barking at him and snarling all the time. So if we know nothing else, Rudolph has good people instincts, because the guy was a real jerk.” Luther let Rudolph out, and he pranced right up to Alex and wound through his legs, happy and maybe a little jumpy, tail going a million miles an hour. Rudolph put his front paws on Alex’s legs and looked up at him with what had to be a doggie smile.

“What do I do?” Alex asked.

“Just pet him. Rudolph is so wonderful. We’ve had some interest in him, but everyone seems to pick a different dog. He’s really special, though.”

Alex took a deep breath, and sweat broke out on the back of his neck. But he had just held a dog, so he could do this. Before he could change his mind, he leaned down and petted Rudolph, whose tail just wagged faster, if that was possible. Rudolph licked his hand, and Alex pulled back. “Is he tasting me?”

“Sort of,” Luther said. “He isn’t going to bite you. Dogs use their nose and tongue to explore the world the way we use our hands and eyes. So it’s okay. He’s just getting to know you.” Alex tried again, petting Rudolph. He wasn’t sure how much more of this he was going to be able to take. The dogs had been good and the experience was positive, but Alex wondered how long it would be before something went wrong—because something always did.

“He’s really sweet,” Alex said to try to reassure himself. Palmer had said that saying positive things out loud so he could hear them when he was stressed might help him.

“Do you want to sit with him?” Luther asked. Then he led Alex to a chair. He sat, and Rudolph jumped onto his lap and balanced on his legs, tongue out, tail going, watching him with that doggie smile.

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