The Dogcatcher

by Bruce Luchsinger

To Willie Jones, human beings are wonderfully unique pieces in a vast and wondrous puzzle. To human beings, Willie Jones is an unrealistic dreamer. Freshly fired from the 47th in a long line of wacky dead-end jobs and down to his last penny, Willie is dangling by the thinnest of threads.

To Melanie Worth, life is a precise series of premeditated movements — one leading safely and logically to the next. Unable to step away from her decades-long plan to marry her stick-in-the-mud grade school sweetheart, Melanie is about to make the biggest mistake of her life.

Enter The General — Melanie's headstrong, highly intuitive, hot dog loving Pug. When Willie catches The General in the most unexpected of ways, it sets in motion a series of events that place Willie and Mel on a collision course with destiny. But will fate be enough to bring these two soulmates together? Or will The General have to take matters into his own paws?

Fresh and funny, The Dogcatcher blends a more highly-caffeinated Sleepless In Seattle-like story with the canine-centric thoughts of A Dog's Purpose to create a romantic comedy with both bark and bite.

Genres: Romance, Humor, Contemporary

130 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 6, 2013

About the author

When Bruce Luchsinger was a little boy, he wanted to be an Alligator. Instead, he became a writer. Why take the easy route? A graduate of Tufts University, Bruce parked cars for seventeen years at 5 Star hotels in both Beverly Hills and Bel Air. He is the writer of several screenplays, the novel CARS AND STARS: DIARY OF A BEVERLY HILLS PARKING VALET, and the romantic comedy novella THE DOGCATCHER. Bruce is a 2011 Nicholl Fellowship Quarterfinalist. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Robyn.

Learn more about the time between Alligator and Author at www.bruceluchsinger.com or visit him on Facebook www.facebook.com/bruceluchsingerwriter

Reviews

[Doug Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruce Luchsinger outdid himself in this novella. I could not stop reading it. I cared about the characters and loved the arc of the story. Bruce has a way with words and he uses them beautifully to tell a story that is art without being pretentious or heavy handed. It is beautifully crafted and moves along at a good clip. As I read this I mentally cast the characters in a movie. This is not something I usually do but the book was so vivid it was as if I was experiencing it rather than reading it. It would make a smashing movie! It made me laugh out loud several times and the folks sitting near me on the plane probably thought I was goofy but I did not care. This one is worth every penny and minute you spend on it.

[Michelle Haugen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of the book was very slow. It took me a long time to get into it. In fact, I was going to give up on it. But I finished it. It was ok, but could get very confusing. Some of the secondary characters were not different enough from each other to make any kind of impression on me. I liked the dog, General. He was the highlight of the story to me. I didn't understand why some of the secondary characters were introduced. Overall, not something I would reread.
There were some good points beside the dog. I did like how the hero was always upbeat and optimistic, no matter what life threw at him. I did like his mother as well. The best friend of the heroine seemed like someone I would like to get to know better.

[Brian Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because I enjoyed the author's novel, Cars & Stars, I downloaded this novella for a long business flight. I love love love this sweet story! Luchsinger has a knack for creating the most absurdly hilarious scenarios that make you laugh out loud while reading. The main character seems like a lost knucklehead stumbling through life until you realize that he's following an inner compass and going with the flow of life. There's a lesson in here about trusting fate, having a sense of humor, and finding love.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sort of odd novella type book about two characters Willie and Mel whose lives almost intersect several times. Both are rather eccentric; Willie moreso. Willie's character was a bit annoying to me, fired from 47 jobs, a hopeless dreamer, who needed a few realistic skills to make him more believable for me. Mel is in a long term (since grade school) relationship that is boring and steady. She has a pug, Gereral, who starts the course of fate. Not my favorite, but readable as a free short book.

[Gina Basham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the author's writing style. It is like a friend telling you a story about this goofy guy he knows. Willie is a lost soul but is completely unaware of that fact. He finds himself in some ridiculous situations but is completely unfazed by them. A fun, enjoyable read. I would recommend this book.

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute

[Jessicca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed my whole way through this book! Very funny...a little quirky, but a very sweet read!

[Dixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story. If you like misfits & dogs, you'll like it :-)
On my kindle, was a weekly freebie

[CFT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny story, belivable characters.