Photo by Lisa5201
What the Dogs Know
A Novel in Serial Form
By Shari Lane
Everyone is a suspect.
Everyone has a secret to hide.
On Looser Island, the nonhuman animals outnumber the humans.
Owls, bald eagles, blue herons.
Deer, rabbits, raccoons.
Sheep, goats, cows, pigs, and chickens.
Cats and rats and lizards.
A camel.
And of course, there are dogs.
Lots of dogs.
So it is or should be obvious who really rules the roost.
That’s the way it’s always been.
Until the dogs start disappearing . . .
Ta-ta For Now
Every good book comes to an end (after which we sit in happy mourning over the characters who landed, with a thud or a sly nudge or the lightest touch of gossamer wings, in the crowded mental ballroom - the literary Mind Palace - where we store such precious things).
Should you find yourself missing Buster, Fetch, Manly, Brunhilde, Charlie, Mo, Silas, Pretty Boy, Gafr, Sylvia, Hound, Pip and JP, Fran and Nan, Jerry Garcia, or any of their humans, or just pining for a a Looser Island moment, I’ve left Chapter One up, along with the Canis Miscellus posts, the Gallery of photos you shared, and the Artists and Contributors pages.
And of course you can always drop me a line at laughingdog38@gmail.com.
I’ll close with an au revoir from Rhett (the original laughing dog): so long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu. May your days be filled with love and wonder, and a generous portion of dog-hair.
Shari Lane
September 1, 2022
Is Your Dog a Star?
Send us your favorite photo, and we’ll add it to our gallery.
Be sure to share your dog’s name and your (general) location. And if you feel like it, tells us something fun: personality quirks, worst doggy “crime,” sweet moments . . .
. . . you know what we’re talking about.
Who knows? Maybe your fur-friend will make it into a Looser Island episode!
Or if you have a photo from one of the San Juan Islands you’d like to share, feel free to send that along, as well. We’ll post it in the Gallery and/or a chapter (with credit, of course).
Jake the Great
Yours truly with a borrowed flock
Cassie and Charlie the Dapper Duck
Special Thanks
This website and the Dogs series would never have been possible without the love and support of my family: my daughter, Amanda, who spent countless hours tutoring this dinosaur on web design and social media outreach; my son Marty, my dad, David, and my sister, Jessica—my tireless cheerleaders; and my Other Half who has put up with an absentee spouse as I tap tap tapped away at the story . . .
And I could never have done this without my wonderful writing group: Valerie, Kathy, Gini, Criss, Marna, Heidi, Jenni, Juli, Sue, LouAnn, Val, and of course, our two marvelous leaders/cheerleaders, Charlotte Rains Dixon and Debbie Guyol. You are my inspiration! I can’t wait to see what marvelous works you all come up with!
And the incredible women who started this journey with me: Arlene, Celia, Kara, and our beloved June, who passed away recently, leaving the world a little less bright for the rest of us.