Silent Witness - Softcover

Lydia Hawke; Lydia C. Filzen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0976644916 ISBN 13: 9780976644910

Publisher: Global Authors Publishers, 2005

Synopsis

Can we hear in our hearts what animals wish to tell us? Dog trainer Dani Sayre has that ability, but denies her talent because she fears learning things she does not want to know. Her estranged lover, Mark Hughes, comes sniffing around and asks her help in training his dog for agility competition. She reluctantly takes Mark on as a student. He wants to renew their relationship, but Dani can't forget that he betrayed her in the past. When the pharmaceutical firm where Mark works becomes a target for attack by eco-terrorists, his dog is the only witness to a murder. In order to learn the truth, Dani must overcome her reluctance to use her gifts. Can she help Mark prevent the terrorists from destroying the drug company and its workers?

About this title

From the Author:

As I sit here at my computer, my beautiful little tricolor Collie, Jetta, is curled up right behind my chair. I have to be careful not to forget she is there and roll the chair over her fur when I get up from my desk. She doesn't seem to mind the risk, as she makes it plain she would rather lie on the floor beside me than park on the more comfortable couch. Such devotion is flattering as well as humbling, and I've learned to look before I roll.
Such preferences demonstrate the human-dog bond. For all their wolf-powered jaws, serious dog bites are rare. Dogs cheerfully participate with us in dog shows, which must be a collosal bore for them, obedience training, which only recently has evolved into a humane regimen, and agility. Finally, fun for the dogs, too! We shouldn't forget the real work they do, such as hunting, retrieving, guarding, herding, various serice functions, police work and search and rescue.
Personally, I am convinced they speak to us. If only we could hear, life could run smoother for both ends of the partnership. Sometimes the messages crack through the wall of static. Like the times I wanted Jetta's company, and she just then padded into the bedroom to be with me. After 9/11, I sat stricken in front of the TV and she huddled by my side as though she understood something horrific had happened. I know she tried to console me. Or the times one of my dogs has been in distress, and the others let me know.
I've hung out with dogs for a long time. We always had a mutt when I was a child, but I was obsessed with wanting a Collie. At the age of 13 I finally saved enough money from a year's worth of allowance to buy one. My beleagured parents agreed to let me have my Collie. I was able to take Gidget to a few dog shows. Together we earned a Companion Dog degree and a lot of Junior Showmanship and dog show ribbons. My poor husband probably had an inkling of what he was in for when we married, but he wasn't a committed (and I use that term advisedly) dog person in those days. Umpteen Collies later, he loves them and tolerates the inconveniences of a munti-dog household. They have a way of working their way into one's soul.
I can't possibly list all those wonderful dogs here, but a few stand out. Tipsy (Ch. Foxfire Blueprint O' Sunquest) was smart, sweet and loved life to the fullest. Her daughter Erika (Ch. Foxfire All Aglow) was her mother's kid all over, plus a great show dog. Erika's grandson, Ch. Foxfire Hunter Lightfoot, CD, OA, NAJ got me started in agility. I enrolled him in classes for a confidence boost, as dog shows worried him. It worked. He finished his championship as well as a few agility titles, and got me hooked on the newer sport. Since then, several of my dogs have acquired initials at both ends of their names. My first smooth, Hawk, Ch. Talan's Rtwo, AX, AXJ, AJP, RN, HT, and his daughters are carrying forward what Hunter started.
As I journey through life, I'm grateful to share it with such loing, intuitive and willing beings as my Collies.
Lydia C. Filzen, Foxfire Collies

About the Author:

Lydia Hawke has written the Civil War novels EXILES ON THE ST. JOHNS, RAIDERS ON THE ST. JOHNS, FIRETRAIL and PERFECT DISGUISE. She also wrote the suspense novel, SILENT WITNESS as Lydia Filzen. She writes for Civil War News and Clay Today and shows her Collies in conformation and agility. Lydia is a member of Romance Writers of America, First Coast Romance Writers, United Daughters of the Confederacy, about a zillion dog clubs, and owns an electrical contracting business with her husband. Plus she was actively involved in the making of the movies based on FIRETRAIL and PERFECT DISGUISE, creations of Forbesfilm, which are now available on DVD. In her spare time... spare time? she attends Civil War reenactments, dog shows and other events.

About this edition

• Publisher: Global Authors Publishers
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0976644916
• ISBN 13: 9780976644910
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 196