Rescue Road

One Man, Thirty Thousand Dogs and a Million Miles on the Last Hope Highway

By: Peter Zheutlin

Narrated by: Barry Abrams

For years Greg Mahle struggled to keep the last of his family-run restaurants afloat in Ohio. When it finally closed, he was broke and unsure what to do next. Then a stranded vanload of puppies changed his life forever.

Join journalist Peter Zheutlin as he travels with Greg from Ohio to the Gulf Coast on his Rescue Road Trips to bring hard-luck dogs from the Deep South to loving "forever families" up north, with the help of many selfless volunteers along the way. From Houston's impoverished Fifth Ward - where thousands of strays roam the streets - and high-kill shelters in Louisiana to joyous scenes of adopters embracing their new pups in the Northeast, Rescue Road is full of heart: an inspiring story about the unique bond between dogs and humans and how going the extra mile can make a life-changing difference for these loyal canines - and for us all.

©2015 Peter Zheutlin (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"An unabashedly sentimental and affecting portrait of a modern-day animal-loving hero." ( Kirkus)

4/5

This book was especially interesting and heartwarming to me since three of my rescue dogs were strays in the South, brought up to the Midwest by large truck transports, where they were eventually adopted. I enjoyed learning more about the process, something I understand and appreciate much more.

The book had some dry moments and repetitive moments. I honestly think Audible glitched the recording or something because the last chapter and epilogue were literally word for word the same.

Get your ears into this one!

Peter came into contact with one of the rescue organizations and then pursued the story of who, how, and why. The what is rescuing endangered dogs from southern states and transporting them to "forever homes" in the northeast after they have been cleared and treated by vets. The whole concept of how dogs are viewed in the south is so foreign to me (I live in a state where animal abuse is a felony). Sure, we have our share of dumbwits who are too lazy to find a cheap spay clinic, and losers who abandon a pet instead of taking it to a proper facility, but we also have scout programs taking kids to shelters to socialize the animals and learn to be responsible to domestic animals. OK, enough rant. Peter does a ride/work along with the transporter and learns more than he ever wanted to know about transporting 80 dogs in a tricked out semi across country every other week, as well as about shelters in the south and the people called to change things and "save lives 4 paws at a time".
If you love dogs, this will be an emotional read. Maybe you will even be moved to help in your own way.
Barry Abrams gives an excellent performance as Peter

Great Book

If you could sum up Rescue Road in three words, what would they be?

A must Read

Who was your favorite character and why?

Of course Greg, he's an amazing person and so dedicated to the dog Rescue community

Which scene was your favorite?

Gotcha Day at the end

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

I laughed and cried

Any additional comments?

If you love dogs and are involved with Rescue or not you will enjoy this book

from a Birmingham Angel

Wonderful story about an amazing man, Greg Mahle, and his mission to save lives. Feel good, tears, laughter, heartbreak, joy....it has it all. I have a Rescue Road Trips dog, myself, and spend my Thursday evenings loving on the pups on Greg's transport when they stop in Birmingham. Learn about rescue, get involved. Adopt, don't shop.

Great material!

Would you consider the audio edition of Rescue Road to be better than the print version?

No, not necessarily. It was nice to have a "voice" but the narrator was a bit slow at times.

What did you like best about this story?

I love dogs and volunteer with a rescue myself. The stories make you cry in pain and in joy.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The narrator was a bit slow at times.

Such an uplifting but heartbreaking book

I applaud the rescuers in this book. Each one is a hero and their love of dogs shines through. After listening to 5 1/2 hours of true suffering of these precious animals I had to stop. I found it was to hard for me to go another 3 hours.