She started with only one volunteer in the room—Rainbow, who now stood against the back wall.
“You have to stand still,” Mattie said. “Don’t speak to Robo and don’t pet him, okay?”
“Got it.”
Robo knew the first part of the drill. She offered him a sniff of Rainbow’s scent article and told him, “Search,” followed quickly by the command, “Show me.”
He trotted across the room toward Rainbow, and when he got to her, Mattie told him to sit. As soon as he did, she used a metal clicker to tell him he’d done the right thing and then crossed the room to give him a treat.
Sergeant Madsen had reinforced Robo’s new skills with clicker training, so her dog already knew what it was all about. The sergeant had given a clicker to each of the new handlers at academy when he demonstrated how to use it for training and reinforcement of new skills. He’d told Mattie to teach Robo to sit beside the person who matched the scent article, since it was the way he already indicated a drug find.
The secret to dog training was to set up incremental steps ranging from easy to difficult, making sure the dog achieved success at each step. After a few repetitions, Robo sat in front of Rainbow without verbal prompting, and Mattie introduced Brody into the room. He took a spot beside Rainbow, standing about three feet away from her.
Still using Rainbow’s scent article, Mattie asked Robo to identify her another time before switching to Brody’s handkerchief. When she made the switch, Robo didn’t miss a beat, and he went directly to Brody before sitting and looking at Mattie. She clicked and gave him a treat, grinning at him and telling the others, “Now I’ll use Garcia’s cap and teach him to come back to me.” This had been Madsen’s recommendation for Robo to indicate that the scent article matched no one in the lineup.
When she offered the article to Robo and gave him the “Show me” command, he wouldn’t even leave her side. He looked up at her, grinning and waving his tail. She realized that, knowing the staff here at the station as well as he did, Robo was well aware that Garcia was absent. Why expend that wasted effort to go across the room to sniff?
Madsen hadn’t told her what to do in this case. She decided to walk him over to the lineup and back and then told him to sit, giving him a treat for completing the sequence.
“I think he knows us all too well to make this challenging for him,” she said. “We’re going to need new subjects.”
Rainbow held up her hand. “I’ll call Anya and see if she can bring some of the gang in from the hot springs.”
Mattie wasn’t used to asking others for help. “Do you think they would come?”
“Of course. Anya thinks you’re amazing. She’d love to help us with Robo.”
It was hard for Mattie to know how to express her gratitude. “Thanks, Rainbow. Let me bring in Stella and add her to the lineup to complete this part of his training. Then we’ll give him a break while we wait for reinforcements to get here.”
Chapter 13
Thursday
Shirtless and toweling his wet hair, Cole strode from his bathroom to answer his cell phone as it jingled on his bedside table. He glanced at caller ID. No mistaking that number now; he’d seen it repeatedly. Gus Tilley.
He stifled his impatience. “What can I do for you, Gus?”
“I’ve got a problem, Doc. I can’t get the medicine into Lucy’s eye.”
“Do you have her head snugged down tight enough?”
“I think so, I just can’t get her eye open.”
Cole realized his client had a legitimate concern. “It is tough. You have to use a firm touch, and it takes some practice. Make sure she’s tied so her head can’t move and you’ve got everything in hand before you start. The clinic opens at eight. If you haven’t been able to get her done by then, call back and we’ll work you in.”
“Okay. I’ll give ’er another try.”
“If you want, you can leave her at my place until she doesn’t need treatment anymore.”
“I need to have her here where I can watch her,” Gus said, his tone solemn.
“We’ll work together until you can do it yourself then. It just takes practice. Call Tess after eight if you want to bring her in.” Juggling the cell phone from hand to hand, Cole had tugged on a sage-colored Western shirt and snapped the buttons one handed. It was seven thirty in the morning, and he was already beginning to feel the pressure of running behind schedule. Sheesh.
After ending the call, he tucked his shirttail into his Levi’s, swiped a comb through his damp hair, and put on his watch.
His thoughts went back to an article he read years ago on the topic of Munchausen syndrome by proxy with pets. It outlined experiences with clients who used their pets to get attention from their veterinarian. As he recalled, these clients might use naturally occurring illnesses but string out the treatment to seek attention, or they might even cause harm or injury to their animals themselves. Munchausen by proxy, whether with children or pets, was considered a serious mental illness, one that both doctors and veterinarians should be aware of. The typical client profile mentioned in the article was a woman with a small dog. Gus didn’t come close to that description, and he’d never called attention to himself in such a way in the past, but even so, it was something that came to mind.
Cole snagged his cell phone from the dresser where he’d left it, tucking it into his shirt pocket and snapping the pocket flap closed as he ran down the stairs. Mrs. Gibbs and the kids were already in the kitchen.
Sophie was scooping dry kibble into Belle’s and Bruno’s bowls.
“Good morning, Sophie-bug. Thanks for taking care of the dogs this morning.”
“You’re late, sleepyhead,” she said with a grin. “I wanna go to the clinic and see the chicks before school.”
“We can manage that.”
Mrs. Gibbs set a bowl of scrambled eggs on the table, and Angie was retrieving a pitcher of orange juice from the refrigerator.
“I’ve got a yearbook meeting again after school,” Angie said as she carried the pitcher to the counter to pour juice into empty glasses.
“I need to go to Willow Springs this afternoon for groceries and supplies,” Mrs. Gibbs said while she popped bread into the toaster. “Do I have time to get me hair permed, or shall I hurry home to meet the bus?”
Cole tried to recall his schedule while he poured coffee. “I can meet the bus. I have a couple stable calls this afternoon, but I can get home in time.”
“Lovely,” Mrs. Gibbs said, bringing a platter of toast to the table.
“And ye shall be lovely too,” Sophie said, grinning at Mrs. Gibbs. Cole detected a trace of the lady’s Irish accent sneaking into his daughter’s speech.
Sophie pulled out her chair and was climbing up into it when suddenly she sneezed.
“Bless you,” Mrs. Gibbs said.
Sophie sneezed again.
Mrs. Gibbs snatched a tissue from the box that sat on the cabinet by the phone and handed it to her. “You’re not catching a cold now, are ye, girl?”
“Nope.”
“You better not be. We have a party to plan for next week. We should write our invitations tonight,” Mrs. Gibbs said.
Another sneeze interrupted Sophie’s reply. Cole leaned over and put a hand on her forehead. It felt normal to him. “I don’t think she has a fever, do you, Mrs. Gibbs?”
The housekeeper tested by putting her cheek against Sophie’s forehead. “Feels normal to me. Perhaps you have a bit of fluff up your snoozle, Miss Sophie.”