Yesterday the last three hardbacks arrived, completing the set. For now. I hope to add “Gone in a Flash” before long. Then after that… it could be on to the next Mystery Lane, or House of Bannerman. Xander and Jenny are due a short story of their own, as well. Last we saw them in “Ashes of Roses”, they were a couple of months away from their wedding. But how did they end up together, in the first place? Their book, which takes place during “House of Shadows”, will fill in that bit of history. Expect to see Alec and Claire of “Lochlan Museum” with a second book at some point, as well as Alex and Tressa of “Hiding Treasure”. The Service Dog Training Center, home to seven of the most amazing trainees ever, has a book in planning. Several untitled works also have files awaiting attention, so there’s plenty of writing to keep me busy for some time to come. Running out of stories to write is not one of my concerns! Getting them all written, is, so… one at a time.
We celebrated Arctic’s birthday at the end of August. It’s hard to believe he’s two-years-old already! He’s doing amazing, I’m very happy to report. The combination of time, training, and meds has done wonders with his hyper-vigilance, change induced fear, and anxiety. These days he tolerates the unexpected as well as most dogs, and when facing the unknown, recovers quickly. We’ve come such a long way in the past few months!
Brad had rotator cuff surgery six weeks ago, so Arctic and I took over moving the dumpsters to the street and back twice a week. In the dead of night that is, in order to reframe the environment and limit encounters with others. That was important, because by the time of his first appointment with the animal behaviorist, his increasing anxiety on walks resulted in that pastime doing more harm than good, and so it was discontinued. But, going out at night and allowing Arctic to choose whether to come along or not, and to determine which direction, how long, and how far we walk, set him up for success. I hold the harness out now, and he practically puts it on himself. He’s eager to head through the gate to the front, and enjoys tracking whatever’s been in the vicinity since last we were out. A week ago when I swung the gate open I realized neighbors on the opposite side of the cul de sac had decorated for Halloween. Orange lights, large candy-corn yard stakes, and a huge inflatable jack o’ lantern with a ghost popping out the top. Ug! For a dog allergic to environmental change, it was a nightmare! But, instead of inducing panic, it showed how far Arctic has come. He glanced at it and barked once, as if to say “I see you over there, so don’t try anything”. And that, was that. He followed squirrel tracks while I moved the dumpsters in place, then we went for a short walk. Other than a couple of curious glances at the Halloween decorated yard, he ignored it. On another night, we heard a neighbor several houses down roll out their dumpster. If you’ve never heard such a thing, then realize it’s extremely loud. Once again, Arctic barked once, as if to say “I see you over there, so don’t try anything”. The confidence he’s gained is beautiful to see.
Arctic had a recheck with the behaviorist last week through zoom, which actually works quite well. It was great to hear the behavior technician comment on how happy Arctic looks, and how focused he is and eager to learn. He really is all those things, and he learns so fast, too. He’s incredibly brilliant. We talked about easing back into walking, and she suggested if I need to distract him, I should use the touch command. That night after I went to bed I realized the dumpster was still out, so I got up, and we went to bring it in. Arctic wanted to sniff the ground and track scents, so we didn’t come straight back. As we meandered along slowly, I saw a couple of people crossing the street in front of us. Arctic saw too, and his ears went forward. I remembered what the technician said, held my right palm out, and said “touch”. Arctic whipped around, touched my palm with his nose, and got lots of praise. By the time he remembered the people, they were long gone. He barked once. I have no idea what he meant by it, but it was neither fearful nor was it a warning. Then he took off down the street at a good walking pace. He wanted to keep going, but I finally called an end to the walk. It was late, and I was in my pajamas! They’re perfectly decent, but still. So we came back, and it wasn’t a bad turn of events to end the walk while he was still enjoying it so thoroughly.
Jack and Charlotte’s latest book is coming along well, and the details are developing and solidifying nicely. All that’s left is to write the remaining two to three hundred pages. They’ve had their interview with Miles and Anika, they have their assignment, and they’re finishing up Sunday dinner with Jack’s family. Their investigation is about to begin, and despite having a heads-up, I’m as anxious as anyone to see this case progress. So happy reading, and I’m going to get back to writing!