Scent of the Missing

by Susannah

  In the prime of her strength and drive, Puzzle is a joyful dog, a daily instruction. I like to think I have brought her something too, and that we achieve things together neither of us could have ever done alone. And I'm aware how thoroughly she is one of her own kind. At the end of a recent search for a child found unharmed, I watched Puzzle bob her nose with the other dogs as the boy stepped beneath a street lamp and his mother rushed to meet him. The tired, street-greasy search dogs came alive, nostrils working and tails in motion. "Yes," they seemed to huff happily in the second scent of him, "you're the one we're here for."

  July 2009

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  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Behind lucky writers, there are good souls throwing sparks. I could not be more grateful to my agent, Jim Hornfischer, and editor, Susan Canavan, for their faith in this project and rigorous encouragement throughout.

  A special thank-you to seven authors—Tony Broadbent, Lee Child, Cornelia Read, and Hallie Ephron for urging me to do this thing in the first place, and early readers Robin Hemley and Irene Prokop for showing me how to do it better. And to Michael Perry, that decent soul in Wisconsin whose work always resonates, and who was kind at a critical point—more kind than he probably knew. Thanks also to Mitch Land, George Getschow, and Ron Chrisman of the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference, where this project received important critique and quite the jump-start!

  To Devon Thomas Treadwell of Pollywog Naming and Branding, Minneapolis—thanks for so many things, including intuitive Googling and long-distance assistance on multiple searches, and for a working title here that made the cut! And to Marina Cing Hsieh, a fine woman of candor and unconditional love.

  Thanks to Kim Cain, of Mystic Goldens, who brought Puzzle into the world, and to Susan Blatz, obedience instructor, who helped me teach my smart dog how to love a "Sit!" Special thanks to Manny Yzaguirre, DVM. Puz is in such good hands.

  At Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, no writer could ask for better support than I have received from Carla Gray, Taryn Roeder, Meagan Stacey, Martha Kennedy, Bridget Marmion, Laurie Brown, Melissa Lotfy, Lisa Glover, Shuchi Saraswat, Mary Kate Maco, and Lori Glazer. Thanks also to copy editor Beth Burleigh Fuller and to photographers Debbie Bryant and Chris Moseley. Woot! and Yowza! I am so fortunate.

  Thanks to the staff at Legal Grounds, Dallas, for a quiet place to write. (I recommend the grilled mozzarella sandwich.) And to Tom and Karen Watson at the Tartan Thistle Bed and Breakfast, McKinney, Texas, for weeks of safe haven and really good shortbread. More than half this book was written there. I am grateful, grateful to Elaine Harris, of PomRescue.com, who brought four-pound Pomeranian rescue Tupper into my life. From first draft to final edits, Tup was beside me every time I sat to write—a loving presence, my unfailing muse. Thank you to Megan Glunt of Borders, Lovers Lane, Dallas, who did a rescue of her own, helping me retrieve a third of this edited manuscript when it was caught by a thunderstorm and blown yards away. All kinds of gratitude to Chef Duff Goldman, Mary Alice Fallon Yeskey, Anna Ellison, and the staff of Charm City Cakes, Baltimore, for keeping a secret and making one amazing cake.

  To my colleagues at MARK-9 Search and Rescue: bless you, thank you. Dog and human—you had me from the very first "Find!"

  And in the largest sense, thank you to every officer, EMT, paramedic, and firefighter, to every dog and volunteer who goes out in the middle of the night on behalf of another.

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  BIBLIOGRAPHY

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  Brown, Ali. Scaredy Dog! Understanding and Rehabilitating Your Reactive Dog. Allentown, PA: Tanacacia Press, 2004.

  Coren, Stanley. How Dogs Think: Understanding the Canine Mind. New York: Free Press, 2004.

  Ellman, Vikki. Guide to Owning a Pomeranian. Neptune City, NJ: TFH Publications, 1996.

  Fischer, Cindy. Our Pets Have a Story to Tell. North Chelmsford, MA: BGB Publications, 1998.

  Fleming, June. Staying Found: The Complete Map and Compass Handbook. 3rd ed. Seattle: The Mountaineers Press, 2001.

  Kalnajs, Sarah. The Language of Dogs. DVD. Blue Dog Training and Behavior, 2007.

  McConnell, Patricia. The Other End of the Leash. New York: Ballantine Books, 2002.

  Rebmann, Andrew, Edward David, and Marcella H. Sorg. Cadaver Dog Handbook: Forensic Training and Tactics for the Recovery of Human Remains. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2000.

  Shojai, Amy D. Complete Care for Your Aging Dog. New York: New American Library, 2003.

  Volhard, Jack, and Wendy Volhard. The Canine Good Citizen: Every Dog Can Be One. New York: Howell Book House, 1994.

  Wood, Deborah. Help for Your Shy Dog: Turning Your Terrified Dog into a Terrific Pet. New York: Howell Book House, 1999.

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