Tales From a Dog Catcher

by Lisa Duffy-Korpics

This book was so good I read it in just two days. Lisa Duffy-Korpics is a high school teacher, but when she was in college she worked for the police department as the animal control officer. Tales From a Dog Catcher is a collection of stories from those years serving as ACO in a town north of New York City on the Hudson river. It was interesting to read about the inner workings of the police department, and how well she got to know many of the local residents due to her job. Her experiences include the usual calls to deal with abusive and uncaring owners, stray dogs, old ladies hoarding cats, dog bites, etc. But then there are some uncommon ones as well. A white dog who for twenty years haunts the grounds of an old convent. A dog who- to all appearances on purpose- lures other dogs to their death in a game of chicken on a busy street. A feral cat who escapes from his cage and keeps the officer "hostage" in her own home. A bereaved family who wants to bury an elderly man's dog with him- even though the dog is perfectly alive and healthy. A wealthy foreign woman who- because of a language barrier- thinks she is buying mink coats but ends up with four manx kittens, and has no idea how to care for animals. Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. The stories in these pages were entertaining, curious, sad and heartwarming all together. I laughed some, I almost cried, I smiled a lot. It was that kind of book.

I received a copy of this book from the author.

Rating: 4/5                  252 pages, 2009