The first in a new series of pet rescue mysteries, Beaglemania is the latest novel from writer Linda O. Johnston. Set inside a well-funded, no-kill shelter near Los Angeles, the book opens with a puppy mill raid where someone dumped several puppies down a storm drain before animal control officials arrive.
[Find out how to win a copy of the book … below.]
Lauren Vancouver, the shelter’s executive director, often lets her passion and perseverance lead her into dangerous showdowns. That’s never more true than when she ends up the Number One suspect in the murder of an accused animal abuser who had been volunteering at her shelter as part of his “rehabilitation.”
I don’t read many mysteries, but this one features all the elements required of a fast, fun read … if you’re looking for a spring break or summer book:
- Strong leading character
- Great set-up
- Witty, reliable best friend
- Impossibly cute, charming love interest
As with any novel that requires intricate details from a profession (be it about lawyers, doctors, cops, firefighters … or in this case, animal rescue and shelter operations), insiders will likely find discrepancies or inaccuracies that bug them.
There are many, many things to like about this animal-welfare-based novel, including rants about and pursuit of:
- Puppy mill operators
- Dog fight participants
- Animal abusers
Seriously, kudos to Johnston for giving voice to people who protect animals from atrocities.
(Plus, the book features a border collie/herding dog mix in a pivotal role … what’s not to like?)
Regular readers … You know where I’m headed with this, don’t you?
The ALPHA Baloney
So, imagine my sinking feeling when, on page 20, I found the first reference to being “alpha” over a dog as a rescue volunteer took a resident dog out for a walk:
“… Ricki tossed a happy smile at me even as she gave a small tug to show Elmer who was the alpha of the two of them.” [emphasis mine]
I almost set the book down then and there, but I gave it the benefit of the doubt and kept going. Then, I came across this on page 82 when the rescue’s trainer had just met with some new dog adopters:
“I did give them pointers, like making sure to be disciplinarians right away so he’d consider them the alphas of his new pack.“
Truth? I DID put the book down for a couple of hours and, again, considered not finishing it, not reviewing it, etc.
I don’t mean to take such a hard line on this issue, but the persistence of dog hierarchy myth (see especially page 3 of link) truly is my pet peeve of all pet peeves in the dog world … all those words … alpha, pack, pack leader, calm submissive … serve as short cuts to the bogus “dog dominance” theory of dog training that I pretty much loathe. (Not to mention even the wolf guys who now eschew the use of alpha.)
BUT, the book really is entertaining, so I later picked it up again and read straight through … late into the night. Is that NOT the hallmark of a good mystery novel?
By the time I reached the third and final alpha reference, I SNORTED out loud when, again, the rescue’s dog trainer entered a kennel with a supposedly aggressive pit bull inside:
“He stared down at the dog, who’d crouched again as if ready to spring and begun growling as loudly as I’d heard him at his worst before. I’d recalled then that eye contact would only make an aggressive dog worse, but Si’s expression, whatever it was, must have somehow registered in my prior foe’s mind as belonging to someone even more alpha than he. The dog stopped growling and lay down on the ground submissively.”
Let’s Be Fair!
But, as a writer myself and out of fairness, I wanted to ask Johnston about:
- These alpha references
- Onerous adoption policies at some rescues/shelters, including her fictional one
- The reason a border collie / herding dog plays such an important role (without spilling the beans)
So, I sent three questions via email for her to answer. See below.
And, those of you with experience in this profession, I’d love your insights on these issues … particularly the adoption one.
Q&A with Author Linda O. Johnston
QUESTION: After setting your story inside what seemed to be a progressive animal shelter, I was bummed/surprised to read three distinct references to being “alpha” in our relationships with dogs (p 20, p 82, p 243). To me that’s shorthand for old-fashioned, debunked, discredited dog training based on dominance theory, including canine submission. What was your intent with these references? How did they come into your creative and/or philosophical process for the book?
ANSWER: “My intent in including that was not to support intimidation of dogs in their training, but referring to the pack mentality of canines. I’m all for training by encouraging and rewarding good behavior instead of attempting to punish bad, but I do think it’s best for the dog to learn who’s in charge — not that I’m particularly successful with that with my own pups!”
QUESTION: I was also curious to see how daunting and protracted the adoption process at your fictional shelter was. Trust me, I know many shelters/rescue groups still operate this way and expect potential adopters to prove they are “good enough.” I also know progressive ones that have evolved into an accepting and collaborative adoption sensibility, where the assumption is most visitors would make a great family for the right pet, where same-day adoptions are the norm, etc. Which mindset do you think works better and why? (Feel free to offer examples and successes from your own volunteer experience, if applicable.)
ANSWER: “The two private, no-kill shelters where I have volunteered rarely permit same day adoptions but instead have a process of application, meeting a dog, and introducing it to other family members including pets before they can go home, which may take several days. The process is similar with cats. Why? They’re attempting to ensure a good fit, one that will create a permanent family bond. Plus, it gives potential adopters time to consider if they really want that particular pet before they bring it home. Does it work all the time? No. I’ve occasionally seen situations where the pet or family haven’t adapted well to one another and the pet has been returned.
“I have also seen a situation where a potential adopter was called at the last minute to adopt a dog from a public shelter just before it was about to be euthanized for lack of space, and the adoption has been a perfect fit.
“Because the more drawn-out procedure has evolved out of experience of shelter administrators much more experienced than I, I’m fine with following it. Obviously there are no guarantees either way.
“I’m currently a dog adoption counselor at a shelter that uses a more protracted procedure. I review applications by prospective adopters and go over them, then introduce them to possible matches. I’m always so thrilled when an adoption works and the dog goes home with someone I thought would be a good fit.
“I wish there were an ideal process that would assure a forever adoption immediately. Barring that, I’d rather have my protagonist Lauren follow the procedures that I’ve been learning since, again, they’ve been derived from experiences of others who have been doing this a lot longer than I have.”
QUESTION: Since Champion of My Heart’s canine heroine is a border collie, I was intrigued at the role the breed plays in the book. Without spilling the beans, I’d love to know if you’ve lived with a border collie (or other herding breed) before and/or why you chose one for this specific role in the book.
ANSWER: “I’ve never lived with a border collie or other herding breed, but I’ve met some who are part of friends’ families and am always impressed by their intelligence and the bond they form with their humans. My husband had two border collies while growing up on a farm in Ohio, and he always speaks lovingly of them.”
Beaglemania Giveaway
To enter to win a copy of Beaglemania, simply post a comment to this book preview post by Midnight, Friday, March 4, 2011, (mountain time). I’ll use a random number generator to pick the winner, and I’ll email that winner privately to get shipping information.
*** FTC DISCLOSURE ***
Many thanks to Kaitlyn Kennedy, the book’s publicist, for sending me a free copy of Beaglemania to read, review, and give away. Big thanks to Linda O. Johnston for answering my questions, especially in areas where we likely disagree.
Looks like a fun book to read! My son who lives in Colorado has a beagle and my husband grew up with a beagle! I hope that I win!
Oh, shoot, Brenda. The prize entry deadline was last week, and I’ve already mailed off the book to our winner. I’m sure the author would appreciate if you picked the book up yourself. :o)
This sounds like a fun mystery so I was happy to hear about a new author to follow. Thanks!
Sounds like a great book.
*Sigh* Reading your response to the “alpha” references and the author’s answers makes me a bit sad. It goes to show how deeply the dominance/pack philosophy is rooted in our dog culture.
Prior to adopting Kona, I held similar views as the author’s (as I’m sure is the case with a healthy majority of dog people). Kona brought on the baptism by fire into the world of dog training/cognition/BM and I learned rather quickly that the theories of hierarchy and dominance just aren’t supported by research. There is, in fact, a growing body of study that overturns these old ways of thinking about dogs. (I know you know this, I’m just typing out loud =)
So now I’m thinking…how are so many people who are actively involved with dogs and in the dog community still holding tightly to these theories? I think a small (but vocal) minority probably back them with blood, sweat and tears. But, I have a feeling that ignorance, truly not knowing, is the problem. I hear discussions about dominance theory and they are usually based on opinion, shaped over years of anecdotes and dominance-based semantics. I don’t think many people know that there is actually research out there that can help us better understand our dogs and how we relate to them.
Maybe we have the leg up on the learning curve having dogs like Lilly and Kona.
(Rather not be picked for the book…wimpy-sensitive to the alpha stuff).
Don’t pick me for the giveaway, just wanted to comment.
I did a review on Beaglemania, too, and had the same issues with it as you did, all the Alpha talk. Thank you for doing the Q&A with the author. Great review of a great book (minus some alpha “training” methods)!
Hey, thanks, Ally for visiting. For those who want to read your take on the book … here is a link.
http://stillajoy.blogspot.com/2011/03/book-review-beaglemania.html
I agree with your assessment. It really is a great read (aside from the dog training stuff that bugged us both).
Great review, Roxanne, and good for you for pointing out the areas in which many animal lovers/rescuers disagree. I’m not an expert in training, but I do strongly advocate positive reinforcement and know only what has worked with my own dogs through the years. As for the “pack” issue, there is a difference, I believe in training in a cruel, dominance type way and by simply showing that there is a leader of the pack or a pack order. I had never had an issue with this until I did adopt a pit bull that seemed to have a pack order issue and some dog on dog aggression with my older Rottie/Shepherd mix. A trainer told me to always feed Emma (Rottie) first, eliminating issues with her and to also make sure I came in the door first, showing her I was the leader. She also advised, since we also have little dogs, to never allow our pittie on the sofa or bed, where the little dogs are allowed, which simply showed her that they too, were “off limits” to her own pack order issues. We’ve never had a problem since. It sounds by the author’s answer, it is this type of “pack” training she was trying to get across, not the dominance, bully stick or shock collar variety. As for the adoption process, I’ve written before about this very subject at Rescue Me. I do feel at times, the adoption process is too rigid, making potential adopters (and lifelong adoption converts) turn back toward newspaper ads and puppy store puppies. I think there is a fine line between being proactive in making sure the pet finds a good home and has a better life than the one he started with and driving people into the open arms of puppy millers and backyard breeders.
Thanks, Kerri. I appreciate your insights and perspective. I tend to see even the more benign … going through doors first, making rules about beds … as being rooted in dog dominance/hierarchy.
I’m all for rules and boundaries and consistency with dogs, but not because they need to learn “their place.” I think they’re just happier when they know what is and what isn’t OK in the family or in our community.
Do I want my dogs to look to me for guidance, for information? … absolutely.
But, I don’t want/expect them to do so because I believe I’m the leader of anything (pack or otherwise).
And, far too often, these leadership ideas cross over into behaviors towards dogs that bother me … a lot.
Have you seen this video of alpha rolls from the dog’s perspective?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y20K-przul4
Oh, how I can’t wait to read this book! I would love to win a copy, but even if I don’t, I’m going to run right out and buy it! I think this would make a good pick for #readpawty too.
Don’t pick me!
I just wanted to comment and thank you for discussing the dominance myth. Indeed, that is one of the main reasons I don’t read a lot of fiction about dogs. I know I may be missing out on some good stories, but I know from experience that that I don’t deal well with the aggravation, either.