The Dogs of Looser Island:
What the Dogs Know
A Novel in Serial Form
By Shari Lane
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Missy and Spot
(Watch this space for art by Martha Spieker - coming soon!
spiekerart.com and on Instagram @spiekerart)
On Looser Island, the animals outnumber the humans by a fair margin:
dogs and cats, cows and chickens and sheep and goats,
deer and rabbits and raccoons,
bald eagles and blue heron and tiny but fierce hummingbirds,
orcas and salmon and porpoises . . . .
In the cities and counties of the mainland, humans run the show
(often badly, it must be said).
On Looser Island, where a cat was briefly named mayor
and leash laws are but a fond aspiration,
Who Rules the Roost? is not a rhetorical question.
Until the dogs begin to disappear.
Suddenly, everyone has a secret, and everyone is a suspect.
Who would do such a thing?
If only the humans knew what the dogs know.
The Dogs of Looser Island: What the Dogs Know
Links to Episodes in order of publication
Episode 1: No Small Gift
Episode 2: No Small Gift - The delivery gal delivers
Episode 3: Geena Geena Bobeena
Catch up on your Dogs! Links to Episodes of Who Laughs Last in order of publication***
(But don’t delay! In October all episodes of Who Laughs Last, and the links below,
will be taken down to make room for episodes of What the Dogs Know)
Beginnings, Middles, and Ends
Episode 1: Introducing a Dog Named Rambo and an Island Named Looser - Finding Paulo
Episode 2: Introducing a Dog Named Rambo and an Island Named Looser - Losing Paulo
Episode 3: The Gentle Sex - The Curmudgeon
Episode 4: The Gentle Sex - The Broken-Open Heart
Episode 5: Once More Into the Fray - Larry and the Katies
Episode 6: Once More Into the Fray - Beatrix Takes the Lead
Episode 7: The Many Uses of a Meat Mallet - Gloria and Mo
Episode 8: The Many Uses of a Meat Mallet - Sheriff Tom Decides
Episode 9: Homesick - Alessandra and Barbara’s Breakfast Bar
Episode 10: Homesick - In which Alessandra realizes there’s no place like home
Episode 11: He Who Stays Put - Jenny and Seth and Jerry Garcia
Episode 12: He Who Stays Put - Growing Up
Episode 13: Jazz Man - Music at the Mini-Mart
Episode 14: Jazz Man - Going Home
Episode 15: The Girl at the Tiller - Celia Prewitt’s Secret
Episode 16: The Girl at the Tiller - Olga Takes the Helm
Episode 17: Cagey Bird - Cherise to Cherry
Episode 18: Cagey Bird - Cherry Finds Her Voice
Episode 19: Lovely Lady - A Change in the Weather
Episode 20: Lovely Lady - Sheriff Tom Sails Away
Episode 21: Dead Flowers
Episode 22: Shelby’s Choice - The Price of Coffee and Secrets
Episode 23: Shelby’s Choice - Making Peace with the Past
Episode 24: First Comes Love - The Kiss the Fairies Stole
Episode 25: First Comes Love - Happily Ever After?
The Theology of Dog - The End
***For those who, like me, find navigating Substack somewhat, ah, less than intuitive . . .
Reminders: Free subscribers receive the first part of every episode by email, as well as story-adjacent musings. Paid subscribers receive full episodes, plus access to the archives, plus the ability to comment on episodes. If you click on a link above and you are a paid or comped subscriber, you will need to login to read the entire episode.
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
Curious about Shari’s other work?
Check out www.sharilane.com
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 . . .
Friends, too, have been my rock, especially when I wanted to give up:
Kathy Henzler, and Julie Sanford, your love and wisdom and encouragement
have meant more to me than I can ever say.
And I could never have done this without my wonderful writing group: Valerie, both Kathys, Gini, Criss, Marna, Heidi, Jenni, Juli, Sue, LouAnn, Val,
and of course, our fearless leaders, 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 in 2019, leaving the world a little less bright for the rest of us.