Kathleen Donnelly is the author of the National Forest K-9 series of suspense novels. Her latest release is Killer Secrets. You can find out more about her on her website, www.kathleendonnelly.com, or by clicking here, read her previous post here, and buy her books here.
After working K-9s for nineteen years, I experienced how dogs help solve mysteries every day. So why not in a book? When I decided to incorporate a K-9 into my romantic suspense, there were several decisions to make. What breed of dog should I pick for my fictional K-9? Would they be single-purpose? Dual-purpose? What agency would employ their handler?
After a long debate, I settled on a fictional dual-purpose Malinois named Juniper. Juniper worked with my protagonist, Maya Thompson, a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer. Being a dual-purpose dog, Juniper detects narcotics, tracks, apprehends and finds evidence. But I also knew there were other working dogs I wanted to feature in my stories. Juniper couldn’t do it all. The bonus of featuring more dogs was that I could interview different handlers in real life and expand my dog working knowledge, something that I enjoy immensely.
My latest release, KILLER SECRETS, book #3 in the National Forest K-9 series is set in the Colorado mountains during the cold and snowy month of January. I wanted an avalanche involved in the storyline and had to decide which kind of K-9 dog would be best for assisting Juniper. Would the K-9 be an avalanche rescue dog or a human remains detection (HRD) dog? There’s a big difference between the two. Avalanche rescue dogs, hopefully, find live human beings whereas the HRD dogs, well, enough said by their working title.
Choosing the fictional dog for KILLER SECRETS came down to the storyline. I decided that I wanted an avalanche to kick off the book by revealing the dumping grounds of a serial killer. This solidified my decision to research creating a fictional HRD dog.
Like my K-9s, HRD dogs are trained for scent discrimination, but I discovered some differences. For instance, I trained my dogs on pseudo narcotics—training aids that smelled like real drugs. Because I worked for a private company, using real drugs would have been illegal. When I interviewed an HRD dog handler, I learned they rarely train on pseudo scents, and only when handlers cannot acquire tissue, bone pieces, and other body parts from labs and/or hospitals.
As a dog handler, I knew the environment could also help or hinder a search. I was curious as to how an avalanche might affect an HRD dog. The answer made sense when my source said that since an avalanche tears up the ground, it would help bring out the odors which would help the dog pinpoint the source.
These are all things I never would have learned if I hadn’t included a different type of K-9 in my books. I am grateful to all the handlers who have helped me research and learn more about these amazing animals. What kind of fictional working dog will be next? I’m not sure yet, because there are so many fascinating jobs for a dog’s nose. I do know though, I look forward to learning more about these amazing animals and how they help us solve mysteries—both in real life and fiction.
Dogs are such amazing animals with so many skills and intelligence different than humans. I’m fascinated how you wove these into the story and how much potential there is for more. Great post! Looking forward to the book.
They truly are amazing, Colleen! I hope you enjoy Killer Secrets. 🙂
Interesting stuff on how specialized dogs are. I didn’t realize an avalanche would actually assist the dogs in finding bodies. IO’ve read the book and it is awesome.
Thanks so much for reading! You’re the best! 🙂 And I didn’t think about an avalanche helping a dog find bodies either until my source mentioned that.
Kathleen — An avalanche? Count me in! I learn so much from your work and look forward to Killer Secrets!
Thanks so much, Laurie! And learning about avalanches was fascinating…and scary. I’m reading the Illusionist right now and really enjoying it! 🙂
I love the way one line of inquiry leads to another, and the result is much greater than you ever expected from one little question. Killer Secrets bears witness to your careful research and enthusiasm for K9 dogs. A wonderful read.
Thanks so much for reading Killer Secrets, Saralyn! I’m so happy you enjoyed it and it was fun to do the research. 🙂
Your novel sounds riveting! As a GSD lover, I find their minds fascinating.
Wow! An avalanche revealing the dumping grounds of a serial killer gave me chills. I can’t wait to read it!