Characters in Love: Snooper from Mandy the Alpha Dog

Welcome to Unwritten's 

February Blog Series

 Characters in Love! 

Each day will feature a different fictional character from various books and genres, and a personal interview about their love lives. It's sure to be enlightening, and if you find yourself dying to know more about them, pick up a copy of the the book! 

Today, let's welcome Snooper from Mandy the Alpha Dog:

1. Please tell us a little about yourself:

I am a mature chap despite my young age.  I was the cleanup crew for a family with two young sons.  Twins they were, actually. When their baby brother was born, their mother said I was too much trouble to keep on, and she took me to the nearest shelter to await my next gig.

I went home with an older couple and that night I got called a thief. Haven’t lived that name down, but I did steal a Boboli that Grandma had for dinner.  She was fast.  She got it away from me before I got more than one bite.  I did make it a big one though.

I am Grandpa’s companion while Grandma is away at work.  It’s mostly an easy job.  Grandpa and I snack and sleep, snack and sleep, then do it again. 

2. How/where did you first meet your love interest?

Grandpa does the driving, and I ride ‘lookout’ when we drop and pick Grandma from work.  It’s nice getting out a couple of times a day and what dog, what Beagle doesn’t love the wind in his face?  I have to do it second hand.  Grandpa keeps the windows up, but the vents are open.  Quirky, I know, but he’s a good guy, otherwise.

One night, about eight months into the job, Grandpa says, “We got a surprise for you tonight.  A young lady is coming to live with us.  She was on her way to lockup and more than likely lights out for good – she’s a biter.  We’re counting on you to get her in line.”

I’m thinking, ‘Oh, wonderful, a biter and you expect me, a quiet, mild mannered fellow to take this added work in stride.  High strung, I don’t do.’  But then I think, ‘They must figure I can handle her, so I Beagle up and await my assignment.’

3. Was it love [or attraction] at first sight?

A white 4x4 pulls in and parks beside us.  Turns out this is her ride. Grandpa gets out and talks to the fellow for a bit, then tells me to join him. 

The fellow opens the back door to the cab and out steps the most beautiful Beagle female, I’ve ever seen.  I feel my mouth go slack, and my tongue waters, but my legs go weak when she bats her eyelashes and says, “Hi big boy, I understand you’re my handler.  Good luck, I’m a biter.”

I’m thinking, ‘This is one lovely lady, but if I don’t get this in paw real fast, I’ll be wearing tread marks the rest of my days.’   My heart is beating too fast, and I figure she’s going to sense my attraction, so I bear down on her and start sniffing.  She apparently is not too thrilled and paws me in the face.  I growl, she paws me again.  The next time she goes to paw me, I grab it gently, and growl. 

She sits and stares, thinking she’s intimidating me.  She is, but I don’t let her see it, and stare back until she finally lies down and rolls on her back.  I move in to smell her, and she whispers, “You won this round, Brown eyes, only because I don’t want to go back to the pound.”

4. When did you know for certain that you were in love?

Right then and there. She was feisty, and gorgeous, an unbeatable combination.  “Smart Lady,” I say, thinking, ‘I’m in love.’  She exuded unleashed power, and with some training, which she obviously needed, she was going to be a leader.

5. Have you done anything to compromise your love [or vice versa]?

Not that I’m aware.  We had a bunch of good natured rough housing in the beginning, but none ever turned vicious in our ‘fighting’ – it was always fun, and the nips were love nips, no deep biting.

6. Has anyone ever come between you?

I had a bit of a jealous streak when Shadow first came to us.  Mandy was very protective of him.  She did a lot of talking with him, and I wasn’t sure it was totally innocent, but it turns out Mandy did a lot of talking to him about her younger days to get his mind off his being abandoned by his last owner. 

Shadow, he’s a Dalmatian, and I am close buds.  Mandy says I think up trouble and Shadow follows.  So, no, no one has come between us just my thoughts, and that only for a short time.

7. If you could take your love on the perfect date, where would that be?

Since Mandy and I have been together, we’ve had a growth in our pack. At one time, there were eight of us, but some have gone on over the Rainbow Bridge.  We’ve had some that were old in years, and dumped at shelters to die.  Our family takes in ones that no one wants, some old, some called vicious, some because of their breed.  It’s always noisy, so I would love to take Mandy camping without the pack. It is beautiful to be in nature, to enjoy the sun on our face, to see the stars, and to know we are a part of this fantastic universe.

8. Is there anything your love does that completely annoys you?

I cannot think of anything about Mandy that annoys me.  She barks, but it is necessary when she does.  Some of the pack barks at cars going by.  What good does that do?  I don’t mind that Mandy has taken the lead in the pack.  I gladly gave it to her.  It frees me up to do what I want, and her being in control makes her feel safe.  We all win.

9. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced together as a couple?

When the first member of the pack went over the Rainbow Bridge, we needed to stand strong for the younger ones and to be there for our human family who grieved.  Great sorrow can draw or push you apart, and I am grateful, it brought us closer together and made us appreciate what we have for each other and our family.

10. Is there a happily ever after in store for you?

I believe in happy endings and while I would like Mandy and I to cross the Rainbow Bridge together, if not, whomever goes ahead will be waiting, and the one left behind will look towards the day of the reunion.  You can’t ask for anything more than eternity.

Want to know more about Snooper, Mandy, and their pack? Find them here:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=paula+shene

Find additional stories and free reads at this link:

http://www.bookrix.com/_ebook-paula-shene-prescott-shene-illustrator-captain-snooper/