A Boy and his Dog -- Friends Always!

"I'll never forgive you for killing the dog!" That's what a friend of mine told me after reading Dogwoods Blush and providing her pointed feedback. And while I am certain that my friend will actually forgive me for telling the story of the horrific death of ol' Blue in Dogwoods, I hope the pain of the emotion never fades. Truth be told, the pain and suffering experienced by ol' Blue resonates with readers more acutely than the suffering experienced by the main characters ... Jerry Bronson, Roman Spindola, Dick Spear and many others. Don Perlin, former artist for Marvel Comics on horror titles like Ghost Rider and Werewolf By Night told me he "really liked the dog." Another reader asked me, "Why did you make the dog suffer so much?" It all dates back to Walt Disney's 1957 timeless classic, Old Yeller. I was six years old when Disney re-released Old Yeller to theaters. Still reeling from the trauma of Bambi (the death of the mother still taxes my emotions!) I went with my Mother to see this adventure starring Fess Parker (of Davey Crockett and Daniel Boone fame). All went according to plan until the fateful ending, where young Travis (played by Tommy Kirk) must shoot the beloved family pet beset by hydrophobia/rabies. Years later we still group people into two groups ... those who did cry when Old Yeller died and those who did not. The pain of losing a beloved pet is normally associated with a needed rite of passage from childhood to adulthood. Losing a pet too soon, especially to a traumatic event, makes that passage even more difficult to traverse. I was conditioned to that way of thinking from a very young age. Television in the 60's was very different than what we see today. Almost all shows held a close family theme and many of them centered on a family pet. Comedies like Mr. Ed even put human traits on animals while traditional hits like Rin Tin Tin and the immortal Lassie made dogs the star of the show. In my household, life imitated art. My earliest memories center on a German Shepherd mix aptly named "King." As I roamed the countryside following my imagination to great adventures in the rural farmlands of Colquitt County, Georgia, King was always by my side. He was, like Old Yeller, 'the best doggone done in west." To me, he was the best dog in the north, south, east or west bar none! When I was in the 2nd grade, a farmer neighbor came to complain to my father that King, leading a pack of other dogs, had killed one of his calves. I refused to believe this to be true but my Father, trying to keep peace in the community, consented to have King put down. It was my first experience of losing a loved one to death but it would be far from the last. As I just celebrated my 51st birthday, I think back on all of the wonderful animals who meant so much to me over the years but have now moved on ... there was Sport, the Fox Terrier; Orry, the Black lab mix (the inspiration for ol' Blue); Onyx the cat; Fats Domino, the Chow mix; Dixie the Spitz ... all of them brought happiness and laughter into my life. I can't imagine a world without pets. It was the experience of dealing with the sorrow of losing these beautiful animals that helped me deal with the sorrows yet to come of losing my human friends and family members. That's also the world I imagined for Jerry Bronson in Dogwoods Blush. In the book as it was for me in real life, young Jerry is traumatized by the painful death of beloved Old Yeller as he watches the movie screen in horror. This event would rise to the front of his mind years later as he helplessly watched his enemies kill his beloved canine companion, Blue. So when readers become enraged at this particular part of the story and proclaim, "I'll never forgive you for killing the dog," they actually become united in the thought process with Jerry Bronson. This event becomes the catalyst for Jerry's thirst for revenge and plays a major role in the final, fateful confrontation that results in the fiery climax of Dogwoods Blush. So relax, faithful dog lovers! The pain suffered by ol' Blue in Dogwoods Blush is NOT in vain! It serves to unite us all to stand against the forces of evil that come calling to the small town of Timmonsville, GA. Rest assured that no animals were actually harmed in the writing of this book! But if you find a soft spot in your heart for ol' Blue after reading it, you are not alone. It just means that like me, there is an animal from your past who still holds a special place in your heart. Will dogs be in heaven? Some say not but if you ask me, I ask this in return ... who can look into the innocent and loving eyes of a beloved pet and say they have no soul? On behalf of Jerry Bronson and dog lovers around the world, I say that heaven would not be complete without those beloved furry friends of my childhood. In my heart, I'll always be just a boy with his dog -- best friends always!