Red Dog Rising
I met Jeff and Ronin at a point that their time was coming to a close, and Jeff was in the process of handing the torch off to his friend Matt Broad and his dog Morgan. I never had the opportunity to see Ronin in action, but reading the following story and having worked for a short time with Morgan and Matt, I had no idea at the time what a deep pool I was looking into. I did pick up a clue though: at one point Matt let me have the 30 foot lead, and I could sense some hesitation in the act that puzzled me. It was just a leash to me, but as you read the following story you will understand that that long line was more like an umbilical thing attaching Jeff and Ronin to each other, and now it was becoming part of Matt and Morgan.I think the relationship that a man can have with an animal, when it is done right, can be on par with the deepest relationships that people have with each other. It has to do with respect, love, exasperation, affection- all the things that go into great human relationships. Yet at times working with animals can be unique; here is Jeff, aman who grew up on the street in a rough urban setting, he becomes a cop, and is somehow compelled to develop this deep relationship with a dog. The man has issues. How he dealt with them was through Ronin. You can't develop a bond with an animal like this as a casual thing; this requires a level of respect and insight into the creature that one only gets to because he has to for some reason. Both Jeff and Matt wear their heartson their sleeves when it comes to anything to do with the dogs, and it is not something they came to on a whim.Great artists are also sometimes compelled in some way I think, they have some bug under their skin that won't leave them alone, and have to get it out. Make no mistake, what Jeff describes in this bond he has with Ronin is an art.It is a consuming passion, something that Jeff was compelled to do from his youth onward. And it is a joy to read about - in fact I can't say I have ever read anything like it. The thing that set me off was that while Jeff's recollections read like a page turner of a detective novel sometimes they just stop. Remember, this is real stuff, and that's how it works. You do your job, things happen, you move on. But then there is that long line and harness hanging on the wall..... --Jamie Hyneman, Co-Host of Myth BustersRed Dog Rising is a riveting account of one man and one bloodhound who shared a passion for one thing following the scent trail of criminals. Join Jeff and Ronin through a mix of heart breaking, amusing, and seedy investigations and you ll experience justice from the end of the leash. This is a page-turner that you won t want to put down! --Kat Albrecht author of The Lost Pet Chronicles: Adventures of a K-9 Cop Turned Pet Detective and Dog Detectives; Train Your Dog to Find Lost PetsSchettler takes the reader on a thrill ride filled with suspense, action, and excitement as he recounts his own roller coaster like career as a law enforcement K-9 handler involved in some of this country s most high profile fugitive searches with his beloved canine partner. --Mark W. Holmes Police Detective, K-9 Handler, President/Founder of United States Mantrailing AssociationI read the book on my way to Kenya, it kept me awake the whole trip. Brought back a lot of old memories. --John Lutenberg