Luthor

"Remember what you said about all animals being innocent inside? Well, there’s this guard dog on 9th Street. He’s pretty much pure tyrannosaurus. We’re talking vicious, mean—" "Stop right there. A guard dog is only mean and vicious because that’s how it was trained. If you take up a puppy and raise it so the one behavior that gets rewarded is aggression, you’re going to wind up with a pretty vicious adult dog. [...] But that doesn’t make it the dog’s fault. And it doesn’t mean a cute little puppy isn’t trapped in there somewhere, waiting to be freed."

- Griffin Bing and Savannah Drysdale regarding Luthor Luthor is a Doberman Pinscher who used to be an attack dog for S. Wendell Palomino. But in Swindle, Savannah Drysdale adopts him.

Guarding Palomino's Emporium
"Enforcement?! I'd settle for not being his lunch." "Who knows more about animals than anybody else in town?"

- Ben Slovak and Griffin Bing regarding Luthor Luthor is a large Doberman purchased by S. Wendell Palomino and raised by his cruel owner to be brutal, violent, and full of rage. He was almost always stationed as a guard dog at Palomino's Emporium of Sports and Memorabilia (If not most likely at home). Shortly after he obtained a priceless baseball card, during which time Luthor had been sleeping, he was summoned to leap into the store and threaten Griffin Bing by cornering him. Terrified, Bing fled, and Palomino forbade Luthor from following him.

Two days later, when Bing and his best friend Ben Slovak attempted to get a better look, Luthor gave a murderous growl and charged them, trying futilely to rip apart the fence. The following night, a dog whisperer named Savannah Drysdale attempted to bond with him, but Luthor refused to open up to her, stubbornly considering her to be, in her own words, "just another intruder". When they first met, she presented him with a gift, a dog toy, which he violently tore through shreds "like a jet engine". Four days later, Luthor attempted to bite off her fingers when she did so much as slip them through the gate, and nearly succeeded had Slovak not yanked her away. Enraged, Drysdale cursed him and, after a moment, promised to come visit him again before storming away. Her tirade had caught him off balance, but if he seemed timid it was extremely slight.

Guarding Palomino's House
Shortly afterwards, S. Wendell Palomino brought Luthor to her house in order to guard a portable safe containing the baseball card. He may have been let loose sometimes, as he allegedly chased after at least one car while it was driving. He was initially stationed outside, where he realized Griffin Bing and Ben Slovak had come to the house and charged towards them, prompting the two children to dart back through the fence while Luthor's leash went taut, restraining him. Shortly afterwards, if not in the meantime, Palomino also bought a much larger and more powerful dog to guard the collectible. For the next week, the dog frequently bullied and abused Luthor to ensure his domination owing to his considerable size advantage, until he came to fear going near it more than he feared the idea of intruders infiltrating the house.

Luthor later realized several intruders were in the house, led by his old enemies, Griffin and Ben. Aggravated beyond endurance, he prepared to give chase when Savannah, who had been frightened that Luthor would be detained for his viciousness if he bit anyone, stood between them. Delighted to see her again, Luthor presented its belly for tickling. He then warned her about Palomino's Dog and guided her to its whereabouts, just as it awoke. The monster charged them both and they had a narrow escape.

Palomino's Dog later attacked Savannah, but Luthor courageously leaped in her path, having just arrived in the room, and the two struggled. Luthor had risked his life to save hers, as he was clearly outmatched. Realizing this, Griffin Bing threw a 20-pound turkey their way. The dogs, enticed by the lure of so much meat, ravenously ate the whole thing and passed out lying side by side. Although Darren Vader worried he would be pursued once more, Luthor and his rival were still unconscious when police arrived at the scene.

Adoption
"It was a match made in heaven."

- Narration Much later, S. Wendell Palomino fled the city and left Luthor behind at the dog pound while he brought the larger dog with him. Less than an hour later, Savannah Drysdale found him there and adopted him as her own. Due to their history and the fact that Drysdale considered her pets as equals regardless of species or sentience, it can be assumed that he was treated well.

Much later, Luthor was hunted down by S. Wendell Palomino, who had somehow made it illegal for Drysdale to own him. Griffin Bing and his friends hid Luthor from Palomino.

Appearance
Luthor is a muscular Doberman with a red collar. He weighs one hundred-fifty pounds. He is said to be three times smaller than Palomino's Dog.

Personality
When he is first introduced, Luthor appears to be savage, brutal, vicious, and very violent. His violent reaction to being given a dog toy as a gift as described as resembling "a box of erasers being sucked through a jet turbine". Savannah Drysdale attempted to bond with him, but Luthor refused to open up to her, as he had been taught to be paranoid and full of rage. Additionally, Savannah is said to be the "town's biggest animal expert", but Luthor attempted to bite off her fingers when she did so much as slip them through the gate, and nearly succeeded. He took his duty as a guard dog very seriously.

However, Luthor's atrocious behavior was not necessarily who he truly was, nor was he technically responsible for it, as he had been raised cruelly by S. Wendell Palomino, who is decidedly a horrible man. As Savannah speculated to Griffin and Ben, his behaviors surfaced from Palomino taking him as a puppy and only rewarding aggressive behavior, whilst punishing or neglecting anything else Luthor did in his early years. He was extremely frightened of Palomino's Dog due to its size advantage and training, but when it assaulted Savannah, Luthor risked his life to save her, even though he was already injured and even though the dog was three times his size, revealing his true nature at last. He relished being adopted by her.

Luthor, like most dogs, is known to have a weakness for the allure of meat, as he is given a 20-pound turkey and eats himself sick, effectively knocking him out so he can't interfere with the Bambino Heist.

Trivia

 * Luthor is the tertiary antagonist in his book, behind S. Wendell Palomino and Darren Vader. He later becomes a supporting character with Palomino's Dog replacing him as the third-main villain. Tom Dufferin and Vizzini, despite their antagonistic roles, are minor characters and appear to be rather neutral.
 * Luthor appears on the cover of every book in the Swindle series.