Interview with Rudy, superstar dog in Judi McCoy's Dogwalker Mystery series

Today I have a very special guest. His name is Rudy and he is the star in Judi McCoy's Dogwalker Mystery series. Unfortunately, the real Rudy passed to doggie heaven a year ago... but his spirit lives on through Judi's books. The author is donating all royalties from the first book, Hounding the Pavement, to Best Friends, the largest no-kill shelter in the US (that's so generous, Judi! I'll tell my mom to buy a copy right away!) You may read an excerpt HERE. If you see the photo on the right, Rudy is the little dude in the middle.

Thanks for stopping by this side of the woods, Rudy. I understand you're the star in Judi McCoy's books. Tell us all about it!

You bet your Milkbones I'm the star. Humans will get to see how clever a canine can really be when they read the dog walker books. Of course, not all of us are genius. You'll find out when you read that some of us are a little on the 'dead air' side, just like people can be.

Your character is based on a real doggy, isn't it? Was there a 'real' Rudy in real life? Was he Judi's pet?

I am the real Rudy. Judi and me lived together for more than 13 years. She rescued me from the jail time at the ASPCA when we lived in Texas. And let me tell you, it was love at first sight. I was eight weeks old, and once she picked me out of a litter, that was it. She never wanted another dog, and I never wanted another human.

How does it feel to be immortalized in a book? You must be proud to be the fictional version of a real dog who loved Judi very much.

I've very proud. I knew she'd get around to using me in a book. She was running out of ideas, so I just sent out my positive thoughts and she finally got it. 'I need a star character. Ah, I know. I choose my Rudy.'

So what do you do in the book?

Are you kidding. I do it all. Track killers; sniff out clues; watch and dissect, connect the dots. I even have a 'sit up and give a woof!' line of lawyer jokes. Most importantly, I protect Ellie, my storybook girl. She couldn't do what she does without me.

What makes Judi's books so special?

Why me, of course. I keep the other dogs straight, noses to the ground, and all that. I'm the big Kahuna, the top dog, the leader of the pack. Without me, those other mutts wouldn't know what end was up. Ellie wouldn't either. And don't even ask me about the Doofus Detective Ellie falls for. He's totally out of it.

What's she working on now?

Besides waiting for book three, Death in Show, which will be out in June, she's finishing up book four in the series. Begging For Trouble is an interesting case about the murder of a cross-dresser. All I can say is "the shoe is the clue." Think about that one for a while.

How much control do you have over Judi's creative process?

I have all the control. My picture is right above her head when she writes, and even though I'm up here in doggy heaven, she looks to me for guidance, ideas, even ways to commit the crime. I am her muse.

Does Judi have a website?

She sure does. www.judimccoy.com

There are pictures of the dogs that live with people who are fans, a list of her appearances, and all kinds of stuff. There's even a list of her old books, but none of them are as good as MY stories.

What else would you like ot bark to our readers?

ONE VERY IMPORTANT THING: All the royalties from the sale of Hounding the Pavement, the first book in the series are going to Best Friends, the largest no-kill shelter in the US. Their in Kanab, Utah, and they have a great show on National Geographic channel called Dogtown. Anyone who is an animal lover needs to watch that show. And buy our first book so they get a
lot of money.

Thank you, Rudy!