When it comes to Melanie Travisโs love life, feast or famine is apparently the order of the day. First, thereโs ex-husband Bob, who, having been bumped to purely platonic status, seems intent on overcompensating by presenting their son Davey with outrageously extravagant gifts. True, every kid wants a ponyโbut how many kids actually get one delivered to their front door? Then thereโs former fiancรฉ Sam. Heโs finally โfoundโ himself, and, in the process, has discovered that he wants Melanie backโnow. The question is, does she still want him? In an effort to escape tail-chasing males, Melanie opts to track down the elusive owner of an adorable Dachshund puppy thatโs about to be put on the block at a charity auction. Aunt Peg proclaims it an outrage that anyone would be uncaring enough to sell off a helpless animal to the highest bidder, and Melanie agrees wholeheartedly. She, Davey, and her prize-winning Poodles are more than willing to take little Dox in as a temporary boarder. But the more she discovers about the pupโs background, the messier the case gets.
It seems the wiener dog is part of a divorced coupleโs emotional tug-o-war. Marian Firth, who bred Dox, is certainly concerned for his welfare. Unfortunately, her vindictive ex-husband, George, won custodyโand is going out of his way to use the animal as ammunition. George knows that donating the dog to the auction will hurt Marianโand only he can rescind the offer.
As if tiptoeing through the minefield of a broken marriage isnโt nerve-wracking enough, thereโs also Melanieโs new stalkerโor stalkersโto deal with. The obvious pair is pesky local television reporter Jill Prescott and her cameraman, Rich, who figure that Melanieโs nose for trouble will lead them to the next Big Story. Everywhere she turns, they seem to turn up. Itโs annoying, but whatโs truly frightening is the presence of someone stealthierโ and far more sinister. Someone whoโs gotten into her house at night and turned on every single light in the place; someone whoโs stolen her wallet, and let her dogs loose in the neighborhood. Someone who's dognapped Dox.
With the doggy abduction and her son's safety on her mind, Melanie is determined to clear things up as soon as possible. But new suspects keep coming out of the woodwork, including Phil, the dogsitting client with a penchant for โwatching,โ and Jean and Mike Azaria, a pair of Bichon breeders who are furious at Melanie because of a favor gone awry. As things grow more desperateโand dangerousโit's beginning to look like Melanieโs life may be the next thing up for auctionโฆ
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