The Legend of the Fox

Last May, we had a big, stinking storm here in my area....lightening, thunder, you name it. Well, as you know I've got a buckload of Siberian Huskies. Most Siberians are pretty grounded, they don't get scared by Mother Nature. However, my old boy Hu Fei is a nervous dog and is afraid of loud noises like thunder.

About midnight on a Friday, I heard the dogs fussing and ran outside to find a section of my fencing down and several dogs missing, including Hu Fei. I quickly rounded everyone up and settled them for the night, but sadly, Hu wasn't there. I drove for hours looking for him, and in the weeks following, handed out flyers, advertised and kept on looking. After a month, I had given up hope. As I was writing Black Planet: Little Foxes at the time, I changed the heroine's name to 'Hu Fei Lee' in honor of my Hu. BTW, the name is Chinese for Flying Fox.

As July moved in, the temps rose to triple digits on a daily basis. Fourth of July passed, and I worried, because Hu Fei is afraid of fireworks. I was certain he was dead, but still, it bothered me. The month passed, and late one Sunday night, I got a phone call.

"You lose a dog? Named...ah...Hu..."
"Yes...did you find him?"
"Yeah, but can you came get him now? He's pretty sick."

So I rushed downtown, miles from our house and sure enough, there he was. Ragged, starved, sick and infested with ticks and foxtails...Needless to say, I was stunned that he had survived, and in all honesty, it was close. I truly believe he wouldn't have survived another day. He'd dropped from 55 pounds to 35. I brought him home and he tottered around the house until he finally found the crate I keep in the house. I'd moved it from the living room to my office, and except for eating and potty breaks, he moved into his little house for the next couple of weeks.

He was missing for exactly two months, and has now been home for almost a month. He's slowly gaining his weight back, we've spent hours picking stickers from his skin. He's visited the vet weekly since then. Unfortunately, his recovery has been slow and we're now facing the prospect that he might not fully recover, but still, he's home and happy. He's moved out to socialize with the other dogs and is generally found within just a few feet of me. He started howling again a few days ago, he did it while laying on his back under a piece of furniture! LOL!

We many not have much time left with him, but I cherish him now like I never did before. And Hu Fei is just thrilled to have made the permanent move to being a full time house dog.

Losing a pet is truly a harrowing experience. I've been a dog breeder since the early '90s and though we've had a few go for extended runs, I've never had one vanish so completely. The guilt, the worry...it just ate away at all of us every day of that two months that he was gone. So here are some tips in case you lose your pet:

• Hit the street. Talk to people, hand out flyers, recruit neighborhood kids to help look. Put up signs at areas with high traffic automobile and foot traffic. Use brightly colored paper.
  
• Remember that even a little dog can cover a lot of ground if it's confused. Move out of your neighborhood.
  
• Be sure your dog has a collar and tag. My dogs are also tattooed and chipped, but the majority of the time, the collar and tag will get your dog home to you.
• Call animal control and report your pet missing. Then get down there and check daily In Person! I can't stress that enough.
  
• Utilize free lost and found services. Craig's List is wonderful for spreading the word. Use networking sites like Facebook and My Space. Take out ads in your local paper.
  
• Check in with local vets, pet stores and other animal oriented businesses.
• Talk to people. Call your local kennel club, animal training groups and so forth.
  
• Don't give up.

Some hints for preventing the loss of your dog:

• Keep them in a secure yard.
• Don't let them roam off lead.
• Be certain they are easily identifiable. Always keep a collar and tag on them.
• Be certain that your dog is current on shots, worming and flea/tick preventative. Hu Fei's biggest health issue was infection from the dozens of tick bites that he sustained. He very likely encountered some wild animals and feral dogs, which exposed him to possible illnesses such as parvo and leptospirosis.
  
• Don't leave your dog unattended in a vehicle.
• Make certain that your dog is well-socialized and has basic obedience training.
  

Hope this helps anyone who has a similar situation!

Revisiting the Black Planet

It's been over a year and a half since the last Black Planet book was published at Changeling Press. Three years since the first book, Little Dragon went live. We decided to put the three books into a collection, and I meant to write a 7K short story to throw in with the three books. Instead, I decided to delve back into the cyber-punk/sci fi world of Wharf, Hong Kong and Nephris and finish out the series.

It was a lot of fun re-reading those books. After writing Little Dragon, I decided that I needed to lay a bit of groundwork, so Dragon's Blood and Tiger Eyes were actually set about 30 years prior to Rose Lee's story. Now that I'm starting back on the series, we're back in Rose's time and the stories will take place after her return to Earth.

I never really intended to redeem the villain that one reviewer classified as the sleaziest, creepiest villain ever. LOL! How do you fix someone who's so obviously broken as Kitsune Jung? Well, it took some thought, some empathy and some creativity. We all have motivations for the things we do, and Kit isn't alone in this fact. He knows he was a bad boy, and by the time his story opens, all Kit wants is to go home and make peace with Rose Lee. In truth, I didn't intend for him to be a villain, he was modeled after a typical Northern California male; somewhat spoiled and self-centered. I found that after finishing the book, it was clear that I'd have to go back in and rescue Kit. It sort of gnawed away at my conscience, leaving him in such a bad situation.

Developing his heroine was tricky as well. Kit Jung is damaged goods by the time the story opens. His heroine had to be empathetic enough to understand this, but strong enough to stand on her own two feet and sometimes carry Kit. She also had to be enough of a woman to bring out his protective side. In truth, he's not an alpha male. But he's not a wimp; his heroism emerges in ways that surprised me, and almost broke my heart.

Hu Fei is a tough woman, damaged in her own right, and she has successfully survived her own gauntlet. She is the only daughter of Aiden Chen and Annie Tanaka from Dragon's Blood. She's Rose's younger cousin, and all her life, has lived in the shadow of the flamboyant, larger than life Rose Lee. She's a quiet, strong heroine, completely the opposite of her cousin. Where Rose storms into a situation, Hu Fei thinks it through and uses her wits. In Mandarin, her name means "Flying Fox." I think the name suits her, she's got a wry sense of humor and can pull out the moves when necessary.

I didn't realize how much I missed the Lee family until I took out the manuscripts and started revisiting them again. Like the other Black Planet books, this one just floated out of me, so very clear and easy to write. I can't wait to get started on the next book!

Black Planet: the Little Dragon Collection releases at Changeling Press on July 2, Black Planet II: Little Foxes releases July 16, also at Changeling Press.