Dogtripping

I forgot to mention in my last post that there is one more author who can make me laugh out loud: David Rosenfelt.  It's true when I'm reading his Andy Carpenter mysteries, and it certainly was true when I read his latest book Dogtripping (#331).  The difference is that Dogtripping is non-fiction, as you may be able to guess from the subtitle: 25 Rescues, 11 Volunteers, 3 RVs on Our Canine Cross-Country Adventure.  If you've ever been fortunate enough to read any of the Andy Carpenter books yourself, you'll know that a golden retriever rescue dog  named Tara is a major character in all of his books (See my posts of  8/2912, 1/10/12, 12/26/11, 8/6/11, 7/3/11, 5/24/11, & 3/1/11.).  So it should come as no surprise that the majority of the 25 rescue dogs that made the journey with David Rosenfelt and his wife, Debbie Myers, to their new home are either pure golden retrievers or mixes (or were represented as such before rescue!).

Interspersed with the saga of why and how the Rosenfelts and their canine brood made the long journey from southern California to re-settle in rural Maine are anecdotes about how these two acquired their dogs, both those that lived to make the trip with them, and the many who are now gone, but who spent varying lengths of time in the Rosenfelt home being loved and nurtured until it was time to say goodbye.  All of these little tales are affecting in their own way, and I found it was best to keep a tissue on hand either to muffle the sobs, or to mop up the tears from laughing so hard at the dogs' and David's antics.  Plus, there are pictures of their road trip and a photograph of the immortal Tara.

If you're like me, you'll have to restrain yourself from rushing out to the nearest rescue group or animal shelter to adopt a pet of your own after reading this book, but I think that few people would ever have the fortitude and dedication to do what David Rosenfelt and Debbie Myers have done, and are still doing. However, I am proud to say as a native New Englander that Mr. Rosenfelt notes at the end of Dogtripping that the attitude towards animals is very different in New England than it is in California, and that there won't be nearly the call for their rescue services in Maine as there was at their former home.

If you've ever owned a pet, or wanted to, or are simply a David Rosenfelt fan, you'll enjoy spending some quality time with the man behind the novels.