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to pet the animal. Harrigan blocked her reach. “I’m sorry,” he said, “but no contact is allowed. Rosebud is very affectionate and enjoys the attention of strangers a little too much. When we’re working, she needs to stay focused on her job.”
    “I see.” The reporter withdrew her hand. “She’s darling!”
    Mandy had to agree. With a stocky golden body and fluffy white mane and tail, the mini was one of the cutest creatures she had ever seen. Rosebud’s cowboy sidekick wasn’t half-bad, either. He had a deep, rich voice and an easy grin. Even on-screen, he exuded strength and had an air about him that commanded respect.
    Glad that Luke couldn’t hear, Mandy settled in to watch as the news team followed Harrigan to Gliddon’s Pharmacy. As man and horse approached the entrance, Harrigan said, “Hold the mike close.” Then, to the mini, he said, “Find the door, Rosebud.”
    The instant Rosebud pressed her nose against the portal, Mandy heard a clicking sound. Harrigan held up a gadget for the camera, then gave the mini a treat from a pouch on his belt. “Good job, Rosebud,” he said softly. “Find the doorknob.”
    Rosebud touched the lever, was clicked and rewarded, and then Harrigan opened the door. Mandy smiled as she watched the man and tiny horse enter the drugstore. Inside, a handful of shoppers did double takes. So did Mr. Gliddon. He came from behind the counter, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and gaped. Any comment he made was drowned out by a cluster of customers.
    “I thought it was a dog!” a woman cried.
    “I’ll be damned—a tiny horse,” a man said.
    As people pushed forward to pet Rosebud, Harrigan once again went through his spiel about no contact with strangers being allowed. When all the curious onlookers had backed a respectful distance away, he said, “Find the checkout counter, Rosebud.”
    The horse came to a stop, clearly bewildered. Harrigan unfastened a short wand from his belt. A yellow tennis ball was attached to its end. He held the ball in front of Rosebud’s nose and repeated, “Find the checkout counter.” When the horse bumped the ball with her nose, he clicked and gave her another treat. Then, repeating the command, he inched the ball forward, leading the mini behind it. When, under careful direction and verbal cuing, the horse finally touched her nose to the edge of the checkout counter, Harrigan once again clicked and rewarded her.
    “What’s that noise you’re making?” someone asked.
    “It’s made with this.” Harrigan again displayed the small device. “It’s used in clicker training, affording a handler the ability to give instant reinforcement for a desired behavior. I also give verbal praise, but it’s not as immediate. With the clicker, I’m able to reinforce Rosebud at the exact instant I need to. She knows that she found what I wanted her to find. If I had said, ‘Good girl,’ she could have been focused on something else by the time I got the words out, and that might have confused her. When I ask her to find the checkout counter, I don’t want her to lead me to a candy rack.”
    Rosebud heard the magic words, find the checkout counter , and nudged its edge again. A burst of laughter ensued. Harrigan clicked and gave the horse a treat. “A nice thing about the reward system is that Rosebud is an eager participant in her training.”
    Someone in the crowd asked, “What’s that ball on the stick for?”
    “This is Rosebud’s target,” Harrigan explained. “It can be anything, even one’s hand. The target is an important training tool. In the early stages, I got Rosebud to touch the ball with her nose. Even if she touched it accidentally, I’d click and give her a treat. She quickly learned that touching the ball got her a goody, and she began nudging it deliberately. When I’m training her to find something new, I can lead her toward it with her target. When she touched the counter, she got clicked and treated. Soon,