Sleeping Dogs Never Lie

In SLEEPING DOGS NEVER LIE, Ella Indira Duncan takes refuge in a life with dogs to escape her abusive sister and father. When her first husband turns into a bully and her second shows his penchant for secrets, Ella's dogs watch her back and she does the same for them. From SLEEPING DOGS NEVER LIE: Ella and Joe’s marriage was 4 years old. Weeks went by with no need for Ella to command the dogs “Off” the bed for marital intimacy. When Joe’s snoring escalated to symphonic levels, Ella moved into the guest room with its single bed. The dogs went with her, making Joe happy and making Ella’s nights crowded and warm. Ella felt at home with doggy smells in her bed. Tiger essentially had no smell at all, a trait of her breed. Except after the worst mud-and-shit-rolls, the Dalmatian cleaned herself. Tweetie was perfumed because her Cocker Spaniel fur was groomed regularly. Tonto had the strongest aroma. A couple of times a year, Ella used peanut butter to lure Tonto into the bathtub. He stood hang-dog while she sudsed him up and rinsed him off. Usually though, Tonto’s dog smell was doggish. Blindfolded Ella would have recognized his smell. At night, she buried her nose in his neck, breathing in his odor deeply, and murmured, “I love your smell. Umm, especially your paws.” She thought his paws smelled earthy, like mushrooms.