Tom Lowe & Sadie and Barley

Who is in the photo at right?

That's Sadie and Barley in the picture with me, Tom Lowe. Can you tell which one is the dachshund? Actually, they're both doxie's. Sadie is the one with big brown eyes and permanent eyeliner. Barley, blue eyes and an uncanny Marty Feldman look, is watching my wife with the camera while he looks at Sadie -- at the same time. He's trained one "unique eye" to capture its own visuals. Sort of like being able to listen to two conversations at once. That's talent.

What's the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?

Coffee with a canine is a ritual every morning. However, to toast the release of my latest novel, The Butterfly Forest, we walk to a Starbucks a few blocks from our home. Once there, after orders, we sip cappuccinos on the Starbucks "front porch" and greet every human and carnivorous mammal that strolls by us. Dachshunds seem to stir a curiosity in the passersby. Barley manages to perplex them. The greetings usually go something like this:

"Oh, how cute. My aunt had one like the brown dog." (awkward pause) "What kind of dog is the other one?"

"He's a dachshund, too. He's a piebald."

"Highball?"

"No, he's a piebald. You know, it's the spots."

They nod and watch Barley cock his head like he's considering them. Then they smile and walk away.

Barley's used to the routine. He's cool with it because he can see through it. It's the sixth sense of having selective double vision.

What's new with Sadie and Barley since we were last in touch?

There's a lot that's new since you first visited with Sadie and Barley. Sadie, the inspiration behind the dog "Max," in my Sean O'Brien mystery/thriller novels, is getting her own growing fan club. We, or she, receives her share of email inquiries. Usually from folks with dachshund stories to share. I read them all to her. She listens intently before falling asleep. I'm thinking about working a piebald dachshund scene into one of the next books. It'll be easy to write.

The dialogue has been in rehearsal for a while.

If your dogs were given a human voice in a movie about your life, who should do their voices and why?

If the dogs had human voices in a movie about my life, Barley would have the voice of Roger Rabbit. Since Barley's sort of an anthropomorphic pooch -- wait, as I write this, he's staring up at me, one eye on my face, the other on my computer screen, and he appears to be reading He says, ""P-b-b-b-b-bleeeease! Don't compare me to a rabbit. Especially one with so much baggage. Now, if you must split hairs, and compare me to a hare, may I suggest White Rabbit. Punctual. To the point. Graceful. Slick. And when I stare into the looking glass, I can see outside the rabbit hole, too."

Sadie might have the voice of Lady, as in Lady and the Tramp. She's feminine. Eyes full of expression. Make-up that never runs. And she loves spaghetti. Forget the small fact that she's not a cocker spaniel, she has the heart of Lady, and the sweetness to hang with Tramp. Yeah, that's me.

If your dogs could answer one question in English, what would you ask them?

Barley: "What does it feel like to watch a 3D movie and see it in 4D?"

Sadie: "Dr. Oz says we should all switch to whole wheat pasta. There's less sugar intake. What do you think? Never mind, you're sweet enough."

Read Tom Lowe & Sadie's 2010 interview.

Visit Tom Lowe's website.

Lowe's Sean O'Brien mystery/thrillers include A False Dawn, The 24th Letter, and The Butterfly Forest.

The Page 69 Test: The 24th Letter.

My Book, The Movie: The Butterfly Forest.

--Marshal Zeringue