My wife happened on a story about an old mutt who roams the town of Castle Rock, Washington at will. His name is Bear Dog and he is much beloved among all the townspeople. Signs say: “No Dogs Allowed, Except Bear Dog.” Bear Dog sounded to me a lot like the hero of my canine cozy, King Harald–who wanders New Bergen and stumbles on mayhem and murder. But there’s no mention of Bear Dog having a nose for crime. Which is probably a good thing.