R. Scott Loughran

Tommy is a 28-year-old man who escaped his hellish childhood by murdering his abusive father. After a prison stint, Tommy's work release program gives him a shot at a new life when he is placed as a cook at St. Michael's School in L.A, There he meets Guillermo, a neighborhood kid who is committed to keeping him out of trouble, and Sophia, a schoolteacher who educates him in a subject he knows nothing about--love.

Ping is a chihuahua rescued from the pound by nearsighted Ethel, who thinks he's a cat. When a pair of bumbling thieves try to break into Ethel's house to steal the money they think she has stashed away, only Ping can foil their plans.