Doggone Dead (Pecan Bayou) (Volume 3)
I am a life-long dog lover.  My first dog, Goliath was a small beagle who ruled my life well into adulthood.  We had a six-foot privacy fence in our backyard, but if there was a dog in heat in our neighborhood, ol' Romeo would scale it.  Over the years I have had the pure joy of living with several dogs so writing a mystery with a dog in it just seemed like a good idea. When I wrote Doggone Dead, I was saddened when our beautiful Australian cattle dog, Hank, passed away. Like "Hank the Cow Dog"  in the children's stories by John R. Erickson, our Hank was always on top of ranch security (not that we have an actual ranch) and willing to hide under the bed at a moment's notice. A friend of mine shared this quote with me when I told her of Hank's death."It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life, gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are." -Unknown