Dogtripping

25 Rescues, 11 Volunteers, and 3 RVs on Our Canine Cross-Country Adventure

By: David Rosenfelt

Narrated by: Jeff Steitzer

When best-selling mystery writer David Rosenfelt and his family moved from Southern California to Maine, he thought he had prepared for everything. They had mapped the route, brought three GPSs for backup, as well as refrigerators full of food, and stoves and microwaves on which to cook them. But traveling with 25 dogs turned out to be a bigger ordeal than he anticipated, despite RVs, the extra kibble, volunteers (including a few readers), and camping equipment.

Rosenfelt recounts the adventure of moving his animal companions across the United States with humor and warmth, and tells the tale of how he and his wife became passionate foster parents for rescue dogs, culminating in the creation of the Tara Foundation and successfully placing several thousand dogs with loving families.

David Rosenfelt, a native of Paterson, NJ, is a graduate of NYU. He was a former marketing president for Tri-Star Pictures before becoming a novelist. Narrator Jeff Steitzer has appeared on Broadway in "Inherit The Wind" and "Mary Poppins" in regional threaters around the country, and is the Multiplayer Announcer for all HALO video Games.

©2013 Tara Productions, Inc. (P)2013 Listen & Live Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Jeff Steitzer's deep, pleasant voice is enjoyable to listen to, and he aptly portrays the couple's fervent devotion to the task of rescuing dogs from shelters. His pacing and intonation help to keep the listener in the story of how the couple came to amass so many dogs, the varied personalities of their canine family members, and the way they managed to transfer their household cross-country via recreational vehicles and a team of fellow dog enthusiasts. Listeners who are dog lovers will be inspired.” (Audiofile)

I hated to have it end - wonderful story!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have recommended it to several friends because it is such a great story. Dog rescue is such an emotional process - and the fact that they were able to manage to rescue so many and remain so positive is amazing. The humor, genuine emotion and teaching moments in the story kept my interest all the way through. I found myself not wanting to listen as it got close to the end. But then just had to turn it on to see what would happen next.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dogtripping?

I loved the story about the young man who was able to move back home once he had a dog in his life - and one that was inches away from being put down.

What does Jeff Steitzer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I enjoyed the sound of the emotions in his voice. It added quite a bit to the general enjoyment. Sometimes the words were ambivalent as to what emotion was behind them, but the sounds of respect, reflection, sorrow and joy in the voice allowed me to participate more fully.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed and cried - making listening while driving a bit challenging at times.

Any additional comments?

I hope they plan to move across country again - with another journal of the trip forthcoming.

Skip it

While I found it admirable that so many dogs were rescued, but the book was tedious and the author’s constant complaining was unbearable. And I will never listen to a book again with this narrator.

An Inspiring Connection Between Author and Reader

I’ve been a huge fan of Rosenfelt’s since first discovering his wonderful Andy Carpenter series on the bookstore shelves in 2009. I have since purchased and read all of his mystery novels - both within the series and his standalone thrillers. This book marks not only Rosenfelt’s nonfiction debut, but also my first experience listening to one of his books rather than reading it. And what a terrific experience it was!

Morning traffic - once the bane of my commute - suddenly became a welcome thing. I became a nicer driver - waving people ahead of me, in no hurry to get to where I was going, content to listen to the smooth narration (though not read by the author, his voice certainly sounded convincing to me) alternate between relating the history of his journey into being “dog-crazy” and his cross-country move from California to Maine. Some chapters focus on one particular dog in his family and because the Rosenfelts tend to adopt only the most unadoptable of dogs (the elderly or terminally ill), these sections evoke tears. But, like in his fictional novels, Rosenfelt’s humour balances the sadness. And the books is also filled with a lot of love - not only for the dogs (golden retrievers in particular), but also the very obvious love for his wife. It is a wonderful book and I was genuinely disappointed when it ended - I wanted more stories! And though I wouldn’t want to slow down the publication of his fiction novels, I would love to read (listen) to more about Rosenfelt’s real life.

My biggest regret - not signing on for the journey

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

David Rosenfelt is my all time favorite author. If you love to laugh out loud, this autobiographical account of his overzealous life with dogs and trekking across the country with 25 canines and a group of equally dog crazy compassionate human folk will delight you. I'm not nuts for dogs, but I am for David's gift for story telling and now feel like I'm missing something in not rescuing a three of four legged canine to our family.

What did you like best about this story?

It's not an Andy Carpenter story, but you won't be disappointed. I loved getting to know more about my favorite author. Love that he is so genuine.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed... a lot! But the plentiful tales (not tails) of countless dog rescues did make my heart swell.

Any additional comments?

Can't wait for the next David Rosenfelt novel.

Lots of laughs!

I’ve read and enjoyed David Rosenfelt’s books for years, but my husband normally likes things with violence and human blood 😖. It was great to listen together to Dogtripping while we drove. My husband and I had great laughs, and we both found ourselves sitting in the car to finish a chapter instead of jumping out at our destinations. We like dogs, and we thoroughly enjoyed this book. The many dog stories were great, and I’m thinking we may need to check out the rescue mission next time we’re in Maine. Great read!