by Simon Wood

I love wiener dogs, especially the longhaired variety. As a kid, I’d always wanted a Doberman, but that all changed when my mum brought home a longhaired Dachshund puppy when I was 12 years old. Over the last 30 years, there’s only been one kind of dog in my life. I suppose I put my love of these little dogs down to their personalities. They’re tough, funny, conniving and far too clever for their own good.

Mystery author Simon Wood

When I moved to the US, I came Dachshund-less and my wife knew how much I missed having one of these little guys around. Instead of going to a breeder, we went to the Northern California Dachshund Rescue and we ended up finding Royston. He was a six month old longhair, who’d been abandoned on a riverbank. We took him. How can you not fall in love with a dog when you see him steal melon from a pig? He was a handful at the beginning because he was undernourished but more challengingly, he suffered with separation anxiety. He also thought every meal was potentially his last to the extent that he would hide a portion of his meal so that he could come back for it later. It took a few months for us to gain his trust and instill his belief that we weren’t going anywhere.

Royston

Our dog owning skills were tested again a few years later when Royston ruptured a disc in his back, leaving him paralyzed. Luckily surgery restored control to his back legs, but it meant he’d need physiotherapy. Working with the therapists at UC Davis, they taught me how to help Royston get the strength back in his legs through physiotherapy where dog treats provided a great incentive.

Harley, one of their Dachshund rescues that now has a new home

Fostering has meant we’ve become pretty insightful pet owners, as we’re part amateur vets and animal trainers as well as caregivers. I think we can handle most things, but the one thing I do know is that there’ll always be a Dachshund in it.

Watch for a review of Simon’s latest mystery novel later this month and check out this fun video interview with him on KRL’s YouTube Channel.

Simon Wood is an ex-racecar driver, a licensed pilot and an occasional private investigator. Simon has had over 150 stories & articles published. His short fiction has appeared in a variety of magazines and anthologies, and has garnered him an Anthony Award and a CWA Dagger Award nomination, as well as several readers’ choice awards. He’s a frequent contributor to Writer’s Digest and the author of Working Stiffs, Accidents Waiting to Happen, Paying the Piper, We All Fall Down, Terminated and Asking For Trouble. His latest book is Hot Seat, the follow-up to Did Not Finish, a mystery series set in the world of motorsport. Learn more about Simon on his website.