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Lochinvar Luck
A year in the wild turns a scrawny, runty collie pup into the pedigree beauty who wins ribbons and displays the loyalty expected of his line.
312 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1923
4 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Albert Payson Terhune
329 books75 followersAlbert Payson Terhune (1872 - 1942), a local author of some fame, wrote numerous adventures about Collies, most notably, "Lad, A Dog", "Sunnybank: Home of Lad", and "Further Adventures of Lad". Sunnybank, his home on the eastern shore of Pompton Lakes in northern New Jersey, was originally the home of Terhune's parents, Edward Payson Terhune and Mary Virginia Hawes Terhune. Later as his home with his wife, Anice Stockton Terhune, Sunnybank became famous as "The Place" in the many stories of Terhune. Much of the land once constituting the Sunnybank estate was lost to developers in the 1960's with the house being demolished in 1969. Fortunately though, the central 9.6 acres was preserved through the dedicated efforts of Terhune fans and dog fanciers, and is now Terhune Sunnybank Memorial Park, administered by the Wayne Township Parks Department.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 8, 2020
Every summer when I visited my grandparents, I pulled my dad's old collection of Terhune's collie stories down from the shelves and re-read them. Lockinvar Luck was one of those, and re-reading Bobby's adventures felt a little like chomping on a twinkie - familiarly comfortable, and yet nowhere near as good as my childhood memories insisted it should be. I don't remember them being so bloodthirsty, for one thing. All those thrilling battles are just a little boring now. But the great friendship between man and dog still made me smile and cuddle my own little furballs close.
Vintage hardcover, a lucky find at a used bookstore.
Vintage hardcover, a lucky find at a used bookstore.
August 11, 2022
I love Albert Payson Terhune and his collies. Some of his phrasing turns up over and over again in his books. One of my favorites is the reference to a man “gobbling” with fright after he’s been set on by a collie. You can just see it.
APT and his tribe of dog men must have been wonderful old gentlemen to know. Too bad I was born too late to have that privilege.
APT and his tribe of dog men must have been wonderful old gentlemen to know. Too bad I was born too late to have that privilege.
May 23, 2024
I love Albert Payson Terhune's stories and especially his dog stories, which in my opinion he is the best dog writer hands down! I have not finished all his dog works but have all that Kindle has available, I will read next May another of his dog stories. Terhune had used writer's license to bring the stories of "Lochinvar Luck". There was a puppy that had run of to live in the woods until his new owner brought him home but Jamie Mackellar is fictional and the kennel owner was indeed not dastardly as Lucius Frayne. The dog that was reality Champion Alstead Aeroplane, Terhune kennels had an offspring from the champ. Lochinvar Bobby stories from his growing up alone in the wild to his dealing with the criminal elements. Exciting and wonderful snippets of short stories about Bobby and his owner Mackellar.
Story in short- Bobby looks for his owner, tries to help his owner with a Lassie type rescue and kidnapping keeps the stories exciting.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 202
Back went the crate lid. Out onto the kitchen floor shambled a dog. For a long minute, as the new-arrived collie stood blinking and trembling in the light, everybody peered at him without word or motion. Jamie’s jaw had gone slack, at first sight of him. And it still hung
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 204
supine; making the man’s mouth look like a frog penny bank’s. The puppy was undersized. He was scrawny and angular and all but shapeless. At a glance, he might have belonged to any breed or to many breeds or to none. His coat was sparse and short and kinky; and through it glared patches of lately-healed eczema. The coat’s color was indeterminate, what there was of it. Nor had four days in a tight crate improved its looks.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 215
One of three courses at such times can be followed by the luckless breeder: To kill the unfortunate misfit; to give it away to some child who may or may not maul it to death; or to swindle a buyer into paying a respectable price for it. Thriftily, Lucius Frayne had chosen the third course. And no law could touch him for the deal. He had played as safe, in his dirty trade, as does any vivisector. Mackellar had bought the dog, sight unseen. Frayne had guaranteed nothing save the pedigree, which was flawless. He had said the creature was the image of King at the same age. But he had said it
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 219
in the presence of no witness save his own kennel man. And the statement, in any event, was hard of refutal by law. No; Frayne, like many another shrewd professional dog breeder, had played safe.
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 2983
I HAVE been asked if the character of Lochinvar Bobby is founded on fact. It is. Champion Alstead Aeroplane, a beautiful but listless young collie, had never foraged;
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 2986
He was sold, by Mrs. Lunt, his breeder, to Alex Donaldson, a Canadian. The day he arrived at his new owner’s Toronto home, Aeroplane ran away. Nor, for ten months, could any trace of him be found. The collie fled to the woods; made his lair under a disused dance-pavilion, and thence issued forth to live upon the surrounding country. Throughout the bitter northern winter and the following summer and autumn, Aeroplane hunted his food. Not only did he hunt it, but he found it.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 3003
By the way, in my story I made Bobby’s breeder a scoundrel. Needless to say, that part of my yarn is rank fiction. The sale of Aeroplane was conducted in wholly honorable fashion. His breeder, Mrs. Lunt, stands in highest repute, for fair-dealing. Nor is Jamie Mackellar drawn from Alex Donaldson.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 3007
Indeed, several chapters of this book had been written, and one or two of them had been published in The Saturday Evening Post, before I learned the embarrassing fact. Then Mr. Stuart A. Weiss wrote me he was owner of the Lochinvar Collie Kennels, in Richmond, Virginia. I had not painted an especially lovable or even decent character, in the proprietor of the book’s Lochinvar Kennels.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 3012
Not only did Mr. Weiss refuse to take offense, but he gave me cordial permission to go on using the Lochinvar name, in my stories. For which, once more, I thank him.
I loved that Bobby and Jamie were able to stay on the path of right and even have his employer lose his graft in bootlegging so that he can keep the honest Jamie employed at his kennels. I loved the story of Bobby finding his Lassie and protecting his brood.
Story in short- Bobby looks for his owner, tries to help his owner with a Lassie type rescue and kidnapping keeps the stories exciting.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 202
Back went the crate lid. Out onto the kitchen floor shambled a dog. For a long minute, as the new-arrived collie stood blinking and trembling in the light, everybody peered at him without word or motion. Jamie’s jaw had gone slack, at first sight of him. And it still hung
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 204
supine; making the man’s mouth look like a frog penny bank’s. The puppy was undersized. He was scrawny and angular and all but shapeless. At a glance, he might have belonged to any breed or to many breeds or to none. His coat was sparse and short and kinky; and through it glared patches of lately-healed eczema. The coat’s color was indeterminate, what there was of it. Nor had four days in a tight crate improved its looks.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 215
One of three courses at such times can be followed by the luckless breeder: To kill the unfortunate misfit; to give it away to some child who may or may not maul it to death; or to swindle a buyer into paying a respectable price for it. Thriftily, Lucius Frayne had chosen the third course. And no law could touch him for the deal. He had played as safe, in his dirty trade, as does any vivisector. Mackellar had bought the dog, sight unseen. Frayne had guaranteed nothing save the pedigree, which was flawless. He had said the creature was the image of King at the same age. But he had said it
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 219
in the presence of no witness save his own kennel man. And the statement, in any event, was hard of refutal by law. No; Frayne, like many another shrewd professional dog breeder, had played safe.
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 2983
I HAVE been asked if the character of Lochinvar Bobby is founded on fact. It is. Champion Alstead Aeroplane, a beautiful but listless young collie, had never foraged;
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 2986
He was sold, by Mrs. Lunt, his breeder, to Alex Donaldson, a Canadian. The day he arrived at his new owner’s Toronto home, Aeroplane ran away. Nor, for ten months, could any trace of him be found. The collie fled to the woods; made his lair under a disused dance-pavilion, and thence issued forth to live upon the surrounding country. Throughout the bitter northern winter and the following summer and autumn, Aeroplane hunted his food. Not only did he hunt it, but he found it.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 3003
By the way, in my story I made Bobby’s breeder a scoundrel. Needless to say, that part of my yarn is rank fiction. The sale of Aeroplane was conducted in wholly honorable fashion. His breeder, Mrs. Lunt, stands in highest repute, for fair-dealing. Nor is Jamie Mackellar drawn from Alex Donaldson.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 3007
Indeed, several chapters of this book had been written, and one or two of them had been published in The Saturday Evening Post, before I learned the embarrassing fact. Then Mr. Stuart A. Weiss wrote me he was owner of the Lochinvar Collie Kennels, in Richmond, Virginia. I had not painted an especially lovable or even decent character, in the proprietor of the book’s Lochinvar Kennels.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 3012
Not only did Mr. Weiss refuse to take offense, but he gave me cordial permission to go on using the Lochinvar name, in my stories. For which, once more, I thank him.
I loved that Bobby and Jamie were able to stay on the path of right and even have his employer lose his graft in bootlegging so that he can keep the honest Jamie employed at his kennels. I loved the story of Bobby finding his Lassie and protecting his brood.
May 16, 2021
This book is really good and sad. The dog is obviously the best character.
October 3, 2015
Incredible Story
Even though Mr, Terhune "borrowed" some of this story from real life, it remains a glorious tale. His protagonist Mackellar is an incredibly decent person, with a love of Collies as great as that of Mr. Terhune. He must have been an exceptional man.
Even though Mr, Terhune "borrowed" some of this story from real life, it remains a glorious tale. His protagonist Mackellar is an incredibly decent person, with a love of Collies as great as that of Mr. Terhune. He must have been an exceptional man.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews