Dangerous Hilarity: The Great Adventures of the Jackson Twins, Their Family and the Dogs in Their Lives, A Novel for Teens and Young Adults and All Those Who are Young at Heart. Sioux Dallas

dead.

      Extreme care has been taken to ensure that all information presented in this book is accurate and up to date at the time of publishing. Neither the author nor the publisher can be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Additionally, neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the express written permission of the publisher.

      Publisher:

      CCB Publishing

      British Columbia, Canada

       www.ccbpublishing.com

      Dedicated to all of my much-loved students whom I had while teaching public school and horseback riding. I loved all of you and you taught me a tremendous amount.

      And to the wonderful people who train and furnish the service dogs and miniature horses for people who need a special friend.

       Acknowledgements

      It gives me great pleasure to say a sincere thank you to two lovely ladies in the Nome, Alaska Visitors Bureau. Myrtle Kinna and Natalie Abrams were not only patient with my many questions, but made sure I received all possible written information on the Nome area.

      I’m grateful to the staff of SOUTHEASTERN GUIDE DOGS, INC. in Palmetto, Florida; to PAWS WITH A CAUSE in Wayland, Michigan; GUIDING EYES FOR THE BLIND in Yorktown Heights, New York; and CANINE PARTNERS FOR LIFE in Cochranville, Pennsylvania for their information on care, training and use of service dogs. I’ve visited numerous times at SOUTHEASTERN and observed as well as handled dogs. God bless all of you for the love and care you give to the animals and humans.

      THE GUIDE HORSE FOUNDATION can be found on the internet and will provide valuable information on the use of the miniature horses as guide animals. These precious little animals can be housebroken and are devoted to their human. The pictures of these horses, with their tiny white sneakers, are as cute as can be. The book “Helping Hooves” by Janet Burleson tells of her experiences in training these small horses and helping people who desperately need help -- and a friend.

      I visited the training quarters of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Ottawa and learned the information which I included in the chapter of the Jackson family encountering them. The officer in charge was very polite and informative. My husband and I had a delightful visit. I’m glad he enjoyed the visit because he died soon after.

      On May 23, 2006, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police held the first annual national memorial at its headquarters in Ottawa to pay respect to all members of the RCMP who lost their lives in the line of duty since 1876.

      This ceremony does not replace the RCMP Memorial Parade Service held the second week of September, nor does it take away from the involvement in Peace Officer Memorial Day on Parliament Hill in September. May 23^rd was chosen to commemorate the creation of the RCMP as a federal police force in 1873. This also gave the Prime Minister an opportunity to pay respect to Canada’s National Police Force.

      In 1988, my daughter and I took the trip that the Jacksons had. We had a van with a double bed in it and loads of space. We each took a dog and had a great time. One place we stopped for the night, a big man, who looked a little like Teddy Roosevelt, asked us why we were there. We told him just to stay the night at the motel. He said it was a dangerous place. Around three in the morning I heard a strange noise and looked out the window. There sat that big man in the back of his pick-up truck on a chair and holding a rifle across his lap. He was protecting two ladies who were strangers.

       Part I

      Galena

       Chapter One

      No happier dog could be found anywhere. Galena was a strong, healthy German Shepherd, larger than the average dog of her breed. Galena was brown and tan standing a full twenty-six inches at her shoulder which was two inches more than the usual size. She loved her humans and felt that she lived with the greatest family, especially her twin boys. She loved the girl, and the adults, but the boys were special because they had grown up together.

      Galena’s family was the Jackson family of Fairfax, Virginia. Dr. Herbert Jackson worked for the U. S. Government in the Department of Interior. There was Mrs. Irene Jackson, fourteen year old Anna Maria, who was a high school freshman and twelve year old identical twins, Thomas Harrison and Timothy Michael, who were in the seventh grade. Great boys who made good grades but were mischievous, especially Tom.

      Two days before the Christmas holiday, Herb Jackson rushed home with good news. At least he thought it was stupendous news and hoped his family would be as thrilled as he was. Herb came bounding through the front door, bringing a chilly wind with him. He hurriedly shut the door and hopped around on one foot while taking off his rain boots that he had needed that morning. He was so eager to share the news that he could hardly get his gloves and overcoat off. He placed his boots on a mat in the hall closet, his gloves and his rain hat on a shelf and hung his coat on a hangar.

      “Hey! Where is everybody?” he called excitedly. “Everyone in the den for a family conference. Hurry. Hup! Hup!”

      Galena, feeling the excitement, was running around Herb jumping up to his face and barking. Her tail was wagging so hard she almost lost her balance. She seemed to be saying, “Me, too. I’m family, too.” The familiar expression on Galena’s face was an open mouth and bright, sparkling eyes making her look as if she were laughing.

      “Quiet girl. Yes, you can stay.” Herb rubbed her neck and ears and patted her shoulder while he waited impatiently for his family to gather.

      Irene came running in from the kitchen with a large, dripping, wooden spoon in her hand. “What is it? Is something wrong?” she asked worriedly. She had grabbed up a dish towel and now put it under the dripping spoon that she had been using to stir the homemade potato soup. She sank down on the couch, relieved to see that Herb was all right.

      Galena put her paws on Irene’s knees as if to comfort her. “Yes, I love you, too, but be a good girl and lie down.” Irene used the back of her hand to wipe her curly, blonde hair off her sweaty forehead. Her hazel-green eyes were anxious and slightly amused. She loved her husband and her children, but at the moment, she thought her husband was acting like one of the children. Her bow-shaped lips curled in a quiet smile. Her fair complexion was slightly flushed from cooking over a hot stove. Galena stretched out at Irene’s feet then jumped up when she heard the twins clomping down the stairs.

      The twins were running, skipping stairs and landed with a thud at the bottom. Tim nearly tripped over Galena who was jumping up at him and barking. “What is it?” Tim shouted as he took Galena’s collar and led her into the den between him and Tom.

      “Tell us quickly. Is it a Christmas surprise?” Tom shouted.

      “It had better be good. I’m in the middle of finishing a research paper for history class and it counts as one-third of our grade for this semester.” Anna spoke around a pencil held in her teeth as she clutched a large open book against her chest. She dropped to the floor with her knees bent and her ankles crossed. Galena promptly came and plopped down with her head and a paw on Anna’s lap.

      Anna looked up at her six feet two inch daddy and thought he was the handsomest man in the world. His light brown hair was naturally wavy and his green eyes were snapping with thrilling excitement. He was pacing back and forth and running his fingers through his hair. He had run his fingers through so much that his hair was standing up in spikes.

      “Please. Everyone. Quiet. Pay attention.” Herb grinned and drew himself up as if he were proud of what