I have a deep admiration and respect for the men and women—and the dogs—who have served and continue to serve our country. They sacrifice much and risk their lives. They deserve to have their country take care of them. Which brings me to another hard fact that is touched on in Silent Creed.
Robby’s Law (H.R.5314) made it possible for military dogs to be adopted instead of euthanized when they are retired. Can you even imagine that that was acceptable for these four-legged heroes? That after they saved so many lives, their final reward of retirement meant death? Robby’s Law also allows for the dogs’ former handlers to be first in line to adopt them.
But here’s the catch—the military still does not guarantee transport of these dogs back to the United States. Right now the military says it’s too expensive and requires resources they simply don’t have, so oftentimes the cost for transport falls to the adopter. Currently there is a push for legislation in Congress that would change this and require that the military bring these dogs home first, then retire them and, when possible, reunite them with their handlers or offer them up to the long list of others who would gladly adopt them.
It’s amazing to me that we need legislation to do what should naturally be the right and just thing for these four-legged heroes. Yes, real life is stranger than fiction.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As with each of my novels, I have a whole lot of people to thank and acknowledge.
Thanks go to:
My friends and family who put up with my long absences and still manage to love me and keep me grounded: Patricia Kava, Marlene Haney, Sandy Rockwood, Amee Rief, Patti and Martin Bremmer, Patricia Sierra, Sharon Kator, Maricela and Jose Barajas, Patti El-Kachouti, Diane Prohaska, Annie Belatti, Nancy Tworek, Cari Conine, Lisa Munk, Luann Causey, Patti Carlin, and Dr. Elvira Rios.
My fellow authors and friends who make this business a bit less crazy: Sharon Car, Erica Spindler, and J.T. Ellison.
The experts who I know I can call or e-mail with the strangest questions and the oddest requests: Leigh Ann Retelsdorf, Melissa Connor, Gary Plank, and John Beck.
Ray Kunze, once again, for lending his name to Maggie O’Dell’s boss. And to set the record straight—the real Ray Kunze is a nice guy who would never send Maggie on wild goose chases.
My pack depends on some amazing veterinarians, and now they’ve become friends as well as invaluable resources for writing this series. Special thanks to: Dr. Enita Larson and her crew at Tender Care Animal Hospital, and Dr. Tonya McIlnay and the team at Veterinary Eye Specialist of Nebraska.
Once again, an extra thank-you to Dr. Larson for allowing me to name my fictional veterinarian after her children, Avelyn Faye and Ayden Parker. We’ll continue to see Dr. Avelyn Parker in each of the Creed novels.
Thanks to my publicist, Megan Beatie at Megan Beatie Communications for finding new and creative ways to get my books in front of readers.
My publishing teams: Sara Minnich, Ivan Held, and Christine Ball at Putnam. And at Little Brown/Sphere: David Shelley, Catherine Burke, and Jade Chandler.
My agent, Scott Miller, and his colleague, Claire Roberts, at Trident Media Group.
Thanks also to the booksellers, book bloggers, and librarians for mentioning and recommending my novels.
A big thank you to all of my VIR Club members, Facebook friends, and faithful readers. With so many wonderful novels available, I’m honored that you continue to choose mine. Without you, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to tell my twisted tales.