Ronie Kendig is pretty protective of her characters and doesn’t let them just talk to anyone ;-D Fortunately for us, she was happy for the humble and handsome Heath Daniels to squeeze in a chat between his training sessions with his military war dog, Trinity. Thanks Ronie!

Heath “Ghost” Daniels

Hey Heath – I know you and Trinity are itching to get back to your session so thanks for sparing the time to share a little with my readers.

Heath: Glad to. Trinity is wearing me out, so thanks for the break.

How did you get involved with the MWD branch?

Every potential candidate must apply to the program, and there are thousands of applicants. One plus for me was that SOCOM needed dogs trained for the extreme conditions we experience on a regular basis, so I got the lucky break to be a handler. SOCOM dogs have an extra ‘tier’ of training beyond regular MWD training at Lackland.

Did you have a pets growing up? If so, what kind?

My parents always had dogs growing up, but as a teen, we got this amazing Golden Retriever named Daisy. She was the best dog ever. She’s gone now, but that girl was loyal to the core—a lot like Trinity.

Tell us about Trinity – what makes her so special to you?

Trinity is my girl. Her loyalty inspires me and challenges me. I still can’t believe she went rogue after the ambush put me out. We’d work more than forty missions together, saved a lot of lives, so to be separated from her about killed me. I tried to get them to retire her, but she was too valuable. And I knew that. I guess Trinity found her own way to get around that opinion. She’s a girl who knows what she likes and wants and goes after it.

What happens to a war dog when he/she is retired from active duty?

This largely depends on the dog. Thanks to new legislation in the last decade, dogs can now be retired if their exit eval shows them to able to be domesticated. If they are, then their prior handlers get first dibs on their buddies. But there are some dogs out there who are too aggressive for a domestic setting. Sadly, these dogs must be put down. But more often than not, the dogs are homed with prior handlers. Like me and Trinity. A happy ending.

You are now in a new role with A Breed Apart ~ can you tell us anything about that?

Sure, it’s a great opportunity for Trin and I to continue doing what we love—working together to track down terrorists. The team, so far, is compromised of three experienced handlers and their dogs. I can’t go into detail on the missions, but just suffice it to say there’s loads of adrenaline and action.

Who is the most interesting person you have met in your new team? The most…..um…challenging?

Define interesting. 🙂  There are good people with A Breed Apart, and each person is unique in their own way. It’s great to be working with Jibril Khouri again. He’s good people. His sister—well, I’d probably describe Khaterah as interesting. She’s got this unusual blend of humanitarianism but she’s still willng to work with us, whom she probably sees as warmongers. Aspen—I like Aspen. She’s tough but not so tough you want to punch her. That’s Hogan. Timbrel Hogan is so annoying you just want to punch her into next week, but she’s a girl. So, I won’t. But man, that girl knows how to push buttons. We’ve got some time under our belts now, so I get her, get what’s got her so keyed up, but I nearly pushed her out of a C-130 once.

What is one thing people might be surprised to know about you?

I don’t think there’s much that’s surprising about me. I’m not exactly an open book, but I don’t have these deep, dark secrets like some. I’m a pretty average guy.

Mmmm…I think modest might be a more accurate description! Thanks for sharing, Heath 🙂 Oh, before you go, can you draw the names of the winners of Trinity, please?

Sure…..Abbi H wins the signed copy from Ronie and Ian A, the regular kind from Rel! Hope you enjoy Trinity’s story.

Appreciate it, Heath ~ give Trinity a scratch behind the ears from us!

The Story

A year ago in Afghanistan, Green Beret Heath Daniel’s career was destroyed. Along with his faith. Now he and his military war dog, Trinity, train other dogs and their handlers. Though his passion is to be back in action, the medical discharge has forced Heath—and Trinity—to the sidelines.

Military intelligence officer Darci Kintz is captured while secretly tracking the Taliban. Only one dog can handle the extreme conditions to save her. Trinity. Only one man can handle Trinity. Time is running out on the greatest—and most dangerous—mission of their lives.

Relz Reviewz Extras
Character spotlight on Heath, Darci & Trinity
Endorsement of Trinity
Watch Trinity’s book trailer
Reviews of Firethorn, Wolfsbane, Digitalis and Nightshade
Meet the team: Max ~ Colton ~ Canyon ~ Griffin ~ Azzan ~ John  ~ Marshall
Meet the women: Sydney ~ Piper ~ Dani ~ Kazi
Character spotlights: Max & Syd ~ Colton & Piper  ~ Canyon & Dani
Visit Ronie’s website and blog
Visit Ronie’s Discarded Heroes website
Buy Trinity at Amazon or Koorong

Heads up!
Grab Ronie’s Nightshade series for Kindle at the fabulous price of $3.99 each – limited time only
Click to buy Nightshade, Digitalis, Wolfsbane & Firethorn