The Lost Dogs goes on sale today

It is seldom that I get really excited about a book release -- but today is different.

Today, The Lost Dogs - Michael Vick's Dogs and their Tale of Rescue and Redemption goes on sale today.

The book was written by Sports Illustrated Writer and Editor Jim Gorant -- who wrote the cover story on the Vick dogs for the magazine back in December 2008.  The story received the 488 emails and letters in response to it -- nearly al positive - and was the most response of any article in SI that year.

20 months later comes the book -- which has also received a lot of great press.

I confess that I'm not completely finished with the book -- my vacation schedule and the US Postal Service crossed paths and I wasn't able to take the book on my trip -- but thus far I'm nearly 1/2 through it will be well worth your time and money to read.

The book is written in 3 parts. Part 1 "Rescue" is an extensive dig into all of the details surrounding the investigation into Mike Vick's dog fighting ring, and how the feds, not the county, ended up prosecuting the case. For people looking for the warm fuzzies of feel-good stories, this section will be a bit of a shock to you. It was at times heartbreaking and saddening to read, but I thought incredibly interesting (particularly in areas where reports of dog fighting on the property had been made to authorities at least twice over a two year window prior to the final raid, but authorities took no action).

Part 2 "Reclaimation" takes a look then at how the dogs went from death row to available to go to rescue groups and all of the legal pieces that that entailed, including the evaluations. It addresses how the assumption was that these dogs would be far too aggressive to ever go into homes -- and yet, several people in high-powered positions were willing to take a change at evaluating the dogs - -and how the dogs, themselves, all had responded differently.

Part 3 "Redemption" takes a look at the stories or recovery for the dogs -- and in particular the rescuers who took in the dogs and worked on their recovery. It shows the challenges and triumps. Many of the stories you're likely familiar with - dogs like Hector,   Georgia, Gracie and Leo are certainly part of the book. But the stories of all of the dogs are there.

Throughout the book, Gorant also provides a possible look at the entire situation through the eyes of the dogs as the story unfolded around them - which gave some great insight into the dogs as the victims - and victors - in this situation.

For more on the book:

The video trailer

The Seattle Kennel Club Review

Bad Rap's Review (and they should know, as they are key players in the book).

Enjoy the book - -and thanks to Gorant and Sports Illustrated for taking the time to tell the stories that need to be heard.

 

 

I think the book is a fascinating read -- and I learned a lot about a story I already knew a lot about. I also think that it's interesting that in so many ways, Mike Vick has become an afterthought on the total story.  In so many ways, our learnings about the dogs, and their ability to adapt and still love in spite of beng initially surrounded by humans that failed them has transcended the story of the celebrity athlete that used to own them....and that's pretty cool.

And I think that the book does an awesme job of driving the story home.  From the book's press release:

"At it's core, The Lost Dogs is a lesson in the distrssing folly of discrimination and fear-driven hype -- the unfortunate fact is that most people are afraid of pit bulls, when in reality, they are some of the most loyal, playful and loving dogs around. Not all the stories have happy endings, but every one of them features acts of selfless devotion on behalf of the people, boundless perseverance on the part of the dogs, and inspiring hopefulness by all. Amazingly and contrary to even the highest hope, almost every dog survivd the ordeal and many went on to become loving pets, therapy dogs and adored members of their communities, proving that even when exposed to atrocioius abuse a dog still wants to be man's best friend."

And it delivers on that promise.

 

Comments

[Jennifer Brighton]

I can't wait to read this book as I have followed Vick Dog Blog almost since inception. I have it on order at my local bookstore and have been waiting each day for the call to go and pick it up. I enjoyed reading your synopsis, Brent.

[Leila]

Stayed up all night reading it. It was well written. When it came to Vick, just the facts, no extra mention. Which I feel is perfect. The portrayal of the dogs, their journey, personalities and the rescue groups interactions were spot on. I'll read it again as soon as I get it back in my hands!

[Jack]

I *am* looking forward to reading this, but the pre-press reviews make me wonder if there isn't a missed opportunity here. Leila's got a point - we don't want to glorify Michael Vick, or turn the book into a chance for him to justify himself and his actions - but the fact remains that he didn't arise in a vacuum; to prevent that kind of cruelty, we need to dismantle the subculture, and we can't do that without understanding it and the mindset of the people within it.

[Brent]

I think the book does a decent job of setting up the subculture that led to this series of events.

I also think Gorant does a good job of setting up what I think has made the dogfighting subculture so difficult to grasp -- because it DOES cross a lot of demographic and psychographic barriers.

I don't think the book, in any way, glorfies what Vick did or give him a chance to justify his actions....(if anyone disagrees, please feel free to speak up).

I think what may be the bigger picture is that part of the reason this has been allowed to go on for so long is that the victims have been seen as "just dogs" -- and thus, hasn't been a super-high priority within law enforcement....which I do think is beginning to change and Gorant makes a really nice case for why the "they are just dogs" mentality really doesn't make sense. I may post that section of the book in the next day or so because I do think it is interesting and well-done.

[Sara]

While reading about the Eagles' win (with Michael Vick starting), I saw a link to a new book about the Vick investigation. "Bad Newz" is co-written by HSUS employee Kathy Strouse and "Dog Angel" (allegedly an HSUS undercover operative who helped break the case). I know that Kathy Strouse was an HSUS-paid expert witness in the Floyd Boudreaux case. The judge did not approve of her qualifications and she was not allowed to testify.

Does this smell as fishy to you as it does to me?

[Brent]

Um, yeah, Sara -- this sounds completely suspicious. There was never any mention of anyone from HSUS involved in the investigation at all in The Lost Dogs....

I wonder if once again they're trying to take credit for something they weren't involved in...

[Social Mange]

Just read it, I'm impressed with the book. I'm really curious as to whether the money paid for the dogs' care ever got out of the government coffers to the people looking after the dogs.