arson

Tag

Remembering Henny the Fire Dog

Being a writer has introduced me to many amazing people, but one of the most memorable individuals I met was Henny the Fire Dog. An active, intelligent Lab, Henny initially flunked out of training as a seeing eye dog. The ATF recruited her to become an Accelerant Detection K9.

I met Henny and her human handler while researching arson investigation for my first contemporary romantic suspense, An Inner Fire, Book 1 in the Grayce Walters series. All of the firefighters and crew at the Seattle Fire Department Fire Investigation Unit were helpful, but Henny really made an impression. She embodied all of the qualities that make working canines true heroes: energy, dedication, drive, courage and affection.

I recently learned that Henny passed way after a quiet retirement with her handler and his family. She enjoyed trips and vacations and continued to interact with people until the end.

I wanted to share Henny’s story as a reminder than many of the elements in my stories are inspired by real people, real animals and real heroes. I hope my portrayal of working canines reflects the time, talent and commitment of the men and women who train them, handle them, and ultimately, love them.

See how Henny inspired my story, An Inner Fire. The book is currently free on Amazon.