My favorite of my eight Canine Cupid stories is probably Love is Snowblind and that is because I am a big fan of the sport of sled dog racing and an avid fan of the iditarod. I had to do a story to honor this tradition but since I tend to feature that one more, I will pick another to give you for a sample of these stories today. That will be Schnickelfritz in Love. “Snick” is a feisty, kind of nasty little mini-Schnauzer who was inspired by a dog belonging to a friend a few years back. I don’t normally try to do funny but the dog park meeting just happened and is pretty amusing. ..

Schnickelfritz in Love by Deirdre O’Dare www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/bio_Odare.html

Blurb: Industrial electrician Jake has traveled too much to make a lot of friends but finally gave in to impulse and acquired Snick, a feisty rescued mini-schnauzer. Detective Boz similarly obtained Athena, a retired racing greyhound and a total lady. Both men adore their canine partners but when the dogs meet at the dog park and develop an instant love affair, all hell breaks loose. Meanwhile valuable materiel and components are vanishing from the construction site of a new medical complex where Jake is working. Boz is assigned to the case and the two must work together. Can they make this and much more work? Only the dogs know for sure.

Excerpt:  (realistic language cleaned up for this site!)

The dog park seemed quiet. Boz noted a big man dozing on a bench and a woman with two small kids and a puppy at the far end of the park. The rest of the grassy area was empty. He shut the gate behind him and then released Athena’s leash. She cocked her head to look up at him as if for permission before she started away, moving with the grace of a gazelle. He knew she could run like the wind. Maybe later he’d throw her ball a few times and let her run, but for now, she was content to sniff, squat and explore in a lazy way.

There was some rudimentary agility equipment set up at one side of the park. He knew a group practiced there on weekends and had even watched a few times, amazed at the nimble Aussies, the clownish terriers and diverse other dogs as they went through their paces. Athena watched, never showing any desire to join in the fun. He knew her racing days had put a lot of stress on her lean body. So far she wasn’t showing any signs of arthritis or trauma, so he didn’t want to push her. Besides, he didn’t have the time for a lot of training.

Today, for some reason, she did wander over to that area, though, and moved quietly among the poles, ramps and teeter-totter, sniffing curiously. All at once, a gray streak flashed past him heading toward the much taller, leaner dog. The little dog, a funny looking guy with a square, bristly face, ran in circles around her, barking urgently.

He reared up on his hind legs to sniff her butt. For once, she did not sit down or spin away. Athena usually played the professional virgin and got indignant about any liberties taken. Her behavior was unusual enough to make Boz watch.

The next thing he knew, the damned little mutt had her backed up to one of the ramps, scrambled up it, and was in the process of trying to hump the taller female. Amazingly, Athena looked to be cooperating!

What the f***?

Athena was spayed. He’d had that done the first week he got her, so what was with this perverted little scrap of dogdom? He wasn’t even sure what kind of dog it was. He never paid much attention to little mutts anyway, simply categorizing them as either barking rats or barking dust mops, depending on their overall appearance. This guy wasn’t quite either one, but he sure was a randy little bugger.

Boz looked around for the owner. Obviously not the woman with the kids and the spaniel puppy, at least he didn’t think so. She was studiously ignoring the whole thing and trying to divert her two children’s attention. Must be the big guy. He seemed to be awake now and was watching, shaking his head a bit.

“Get your fornicating dog off of mine,” Boz yelled. “She’s spayed, but that’s not the point. This is a public park, and owners are supposed to keep their dogs under control. That mutt of yours is about as out of control as he can be.”

The big man stood and started, not toward the dogs but in Boz’s direction. “Cool your jets, dude. Your dog’s not exactly struggling to get away. She could grab mine and throw him across the park if she didn’t want to play. Let them have their fun. Mine’s fixed, too, by the way, so he’s shooting blanks.”

Boz saw the other man topped him by a good four inches and probably more than fifty pounds, all of it muscle. Even though he had plenty of training in self-defense and martial arts for his work, it would be pretty stupid to pick a fight with a bruiser like the mutt’s master. Boz’s mom hadn’t raised any dumb kids.

He had to admit the sight of the little gray dog clinging to Athena’s lean hips and humping away was pretty damn funny. The act was not going to produce any mismatched pups, so what was the harm in it? Athena could certainly move if she didn’t want the attention, even if it left the gray mutt hanging upside down by his willy.

As the owner drew near, Boz turned to take a better look at him. The sight was enough to stop Boz in his tracks. This big man was one good-looking son of a gun. The faded T-shirt he wore hugged a muscled torso worthy of a Mr. USA competition. Thick wavy hair the color of dark chocolate surrounded a rugged face, burned brown from what had surely been long hours in the western sun. Brilliant blue eyes contrasted with his ruddy skin. The effect was mesmerizing. When he quit scowling and grinned, Boz had to grin back.

The big man stuck out a massive, work-hardened hand. “I’m Jake. The dog’s name is Schnickelfritz, but I call him Snick. Since our canine kids seem to be hitting it off so well, guess we should get acquainted.”

Boz accepted the handshake and introduced himself. “Boz Corwin. Athena’s my fur-girl’s name. She’s purebred greyhound, raced in her youth they told me. Best lady a man could have around. What kind of dog is your bud there?”

“Snick’s a Miniature Schnauzer. The shelter people said he’d been a stud in a puppy mill. They neutered him before I took him. Looks like he hasn’t forgotten what it’s all about, though. If I’d seen what he was trying to do, I’d have called him back, but I guess I dozed off. Nobody around and I didn’t figure he’d get into too much trouble. My bad.”

Jake’s little boy grin was so appealing it ought to be illegal. Boz mentally shook himself and tried to back off from the surge of attraction that swept over him.

S***, five minutes ago I was pissed and now… Man, no effin’ way. Big, sweaty laboring-type guys aren’t my thing. This bruiser’d probably deck me if I made a pass at him anyway. Just ’cause our dogs are getting it on doesn’t mean we should.