Review: 'Dogtripping' will make you laugh out loud

"Dogtripping: 25 Rescues, 11 Volunteers, and 3 RVs on Our Canine Cross-Country Adventure" (St. Martin's Press), by David Rosenfelt

When was the last time you laughed out loud? When is the last time you cried tears of genuine sadness? When was the last time you did both while reading a 260-page memoir?

David Rosenfelt, who is best known for a series of mystery novels, has written a book-length love letter to his canine companions through the years. "Dogtripping" is a delightful romp through his adventures and misadventures running a dog rescue along with his wife, Debbie, out of their Southern California home and their cross-country move.

As a dog lover, it's hard to know whether his stories will resonate with those less fond of his furry four-legged friends, but because Rosenfelt very well could be the funniest American author alive today, it's certainly worth a try.

He's charming, likable, self-deprecating, self-aware and utterly hysterical. Be careful where you read this one because you could invoke serious stares from strangers who may think you've lost your mind.

On the cleanliness of the hotel rooms he wants to reserve with 25 mostly big dogs during their road trip from California to Maine: "I hadn't done the math, but I was pretty sure that we would be traveling with well over a ton of dog, so the cleaning deposit would probably be the GDP of a third-world country."

On the bedroom he shares with his wife and a half-dozen dogs: "The noises ... are unbelievable. Between the snoring, and the scratching, the collars jiggling, and all the other weird noises, it sounds like a jungle in Zaire."

On the dogs, most of whom are old: "They sleep the majority of the day. I've often said that the inside of our house seems like a Civil War battlefield when the fighting was over ... eerily quiet, with bodies lying everywhere."

If it's been too long since you enjoyed a funny, sweet, romantic tale, read this book.

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Online:

http://www.davidrosenfelt.com/