Our discussion of "Dogtripping..."

Wednesday evening our group me to discuss Dogtripping by David Rosenfelt. Our group agreed on several points: this was a pleasant read, and nice after the hectic holidays. David and his wife Debbie are going great things, and they had a fun adventure. Dogs are worth rescuing. People will do crazy things in the name of love (canine and human). Moving cross country with three large RV's stuffed with dogs and people is at the top of most people's crazy list. Many of us also agreed that the author, who also writes a mystery series, seems to be a little too self-deprecating. Yes, it's hard to master driving a large RV, and most of us wouldn't know the first thing about fixing a flat, or anything else that might go wrong on one. We got that the author thinks he's not a "real man" who is capable to doing all these "manly" things. But the laughs soon wore thin. He doesn’t come across as a head-in-the-clouds daydreamer, and we felt sure he really could handle some more his self-titled manly things. But it bothered us that the whole trip just seems to happen to him. Everyone else involved in the cross-country trek was realistic about the challenges that they would encounter, but all the author does is worry. Mostly about things he couldn't do anything about! The counterproductive worry. The grey you early worry.

What the author did convey, very well, was the love he and his wife had for their rescues. Most of them were older dogs, many with health issues. The couple must have plowed enormous amounts of time and money into the care of their dogs. They had (at one point) over 35 dogs in their home. The time that went into just feeding and medicating the dogs was extensive, and this went on every single day. We did admire their dedication. And once they reached their little slice of heaven in the Maine woods, life would surely be easier. The dogs had plenty of room to run and play, and the shelters in Maine are no-kill, so the doggie population might now grow as quickly. Maybe there would be a little time for a vacation? Probably not. These two are committed. We should all be as lucky as those lucky dogs they rescued.