A Shot in the Bark (A Dog Park Mystery) by Carol Ann Newsome Page A

them. So what ever it is, give her one opportunity to obey, then if you need to, repeat the command and gently put her into position. And if she pops out of position, keep doing that until she stays."
    "Doesn't sound too hard. So what else is she used to doing?"
    "Viola's used to being told to lay down before she gets her meals, and she's not allowed to eat until she's released. You release her by saying 'okay.'" Viola got back up, this time she sauntered off , hoping to avoid more commands. "Always have her hold a command until you release her."
    "That sounds a little mean."
    "Dogs are different from humans. They like being led unless they're being led by someone ineffectual. Viola may give you some resistance, she may test you by trying to get up before you release her. "If you let her get away with it, pretty soon she'll be jumping all over you when it's meal time. She might start snatching food from your plate when you're eating."
    "Sounds like a slippery slope."
    "It is. Dogs know who's a push-over and who isn't. And their behavior will change accordingly."
    "I have nephews like that."
    "Exactly."
    "If I make my nephews lie on the floor before I give them pizza, do you think they'll stop acting like brats?"
    Lia laughed. "It's worth a try, Detective."
    "So are you going to teach me Viola's pee song?"
    "I don't know. That's pretty personal stuff. I don't think I know you well enough. I think you should make up your own pee song."
    "Damn. Must I?" He looked at her sideways. "I think you're making the whole pee song thing up just to con me into making an ass out of myself."
    She gave him a look of mock-affront and batted her eyes at him. "Would I do that? She splayed a hand on her chest for emphasis. "Moi? To an officer of the law? Surely not!"
    "Well, when you put it that way."
    "Besides, I don't need to humiliate you. You'll do it to yourself the first time you talk baby-talk to Viola in public."
    "Oops."
    "See, humiliation is already a done deal. Surrender your self-respect, Detective, it's very freeing."
    Peter decided they'd talked enough about his personal humiliation. "So how long have you been coming here?"
    "Ever since I got Honey, about six years ago."
    "And you come up here every morning?"
    "Pretty much. Except when it's pouring rain or the roads are iced up."
    "And the same people are here everyday?"
    "Some more than others."
    "And you're friends with all of them?"
    "Good friends with a few, friendly with most of the rest. You'll find all different kinds of people here, and you wind up associating with people you wouldn't know otherwise. Sometimes the only thing we have in common is dogs. We all try to get along, but if the sordid underbelly of the park were exposed, I suspect you'd find a seething cauldron of political conflict, romantic discord and social rivalry."
    "And which of these are you?"
    "Until last Sunday, I guess I fell in the category of romantic discord. I guess I'm still there. I feel so guilty."
    "Why?"
    Lia's earnest green eyes suddenly glimmered with a hint of tears. She glanced to the right, and then down. "I hate what Luthor did and I hate that he did it because I broke up with him and I especially hate that I'm relieved that at least it really is over. His funeral is next week and whatever I do, I'm the bad guy. I stay away and it's because I don't care. If I go, then how dare I show my face after what I drove him to? I thought about sending flowers, but I suspect they'd wind up in the trash."
    "Have you talked to his family?"
    "I called his sister on the phone and she screamed at me for five minutes straight before I figured out there was no point in staying on the line."
    "I see what you mean." Peter took a deep breath. Every instinct he had said Lia was being truthful, and her glance to the right before she shared her feelings confirmed it. She was remembering, not fabricating, according to the workshop he had taken on interviewing techniques and reading kinetic cues. That, and she knew