Lee Charles Kelley is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
novelist and dog trainer living in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
.
Kelley is the author of six detective novels featuring Jack Field, an NYPD homicide cop who loves dogs and hates people, so he takes early retirement, moves to Maine, and buys a boarding and training kennel, hoping to get away from crimesolving. However, he falls in love with a part-time medical examiner, Dr. Jamie Cutter, and gets drawn back into detective work. Together the couple, along with their loyal canine companions, track down and catch the bad guys.
Kelley's novels are best described as a combination of murder mystery, romantic comedy, and
dog training
Dog training is the application of behavior analysis which uses the environmental events of antecedents (trigger for a behavior) and consequences to modify the dog behavior, either for it to assist in specific activities or undertake particular ...
manuals, as they include comic, sometimes even farcical scenes, along with dog training tips, all woven into the mystery and suspense.
His critiques of the
alpha theory and
operant conditioning
Operant conditioning, also called instrumental conditioning, is a learning process where behaviors are modified through the association of stimuli with reinforcement or punishment. In it, operants—behaviors that affect one's environment—are c ...
have made him a somewhat controversial figure in the dog world, which eventually led to an invitation from the editors of ''Psychology Today
to write a blog on canine training and behavior for their website. The blog was titled "My Puppy, My Self" and ran from April, 2009 to February 2013, garnering nearly half-a-million views.
The training philosophy and techniques Kelley uses are based on a methodology created by Kevin Beha
author of ''Natural Dog Training'
and ''Your Dog Is Your Mirror.'' (Behan's father was John M. Beha
a legendary K-9 Corps trainer during World War II, and the author of ''Dogs of War
)
Kelley's first dog, Charley, was featured on
NBC, NBC's ''
Late Night with David Letterman
''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production company ...
'' in a
recurring segment titled "Charlie
icthe Bubble-Eating Dog (who never ate bubbles)," which ran between 1989 and 1990. Charley's first appearance in the skit coincided with
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles in films encompassing a variety of genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and thr ...
' first appearance on ''Late Night''.
Publications
*''A Nose for Murder''. New York : Avon Books, 2003. 267 p. ; 18 cm. (pbk.)
*''Murder Unleashed''. New York : Avon Books, c2004. viii, 291 p. ; 18 cm.
*''To Collar a Killer''. New York : Avon Books, 2004. viii, 286 p. ; 18 cm.
*''’Twas the Bite Before Christmas''. New York : Avon Books, c2005. 366 p. ; 18 cm. (hardcover), (pbk.)
*''Dogged Pursuit''. New York : Avon Books, 2006. Trimsize: 4 × 6; Pages: 320; ;
*''Like a Dog with a Bone'', New York : Avon Books, 2007 Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
*''The French Poodle Connection'', a Jack Field short story, appears in the anthology, ''Bark M for Murder'' (an anthology of "Canine crime tales from the best of the breed!") J.A. Jance ...
t al.
T, or t, is the twentieth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is deri ...
New York : Avon Books, 2006. 313 p. ; 18 cm. (pbk.)
External links
Lee Charles Kelley. Official site.HarperCollins: Lee Charles Kelley
http://www.naturaldogtraining.com
Kevin Behan, founder of Natural Dog Training
Julia Robert's first appearance on Late Night
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelley, Lee Charles
1951 births
Living people
21st-century American novelists
Novelists from New York (state)
American male novelists
American male short story writers
21st-century American short story writers
21st-century American male writers