Get to Know Some Lost Dogs

The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick's Pit Bulls and their Tale of Rescue and Redemption by Jim Gorant is a book that made me weep and laugh! This non-fiction book details the story of the 49 pit bull and pit bull mixed dogs that were rescued from NFL player Michael Vick's dog-fighting ring in Virginia. The first part of the book details Michael Vick's trial and punishment and the rescue of the dogs from their horrifiying existence. The next part of the book discusses how the dogs were evaluated for their temperament and aggressive behavior and placed in foster homes and sanctuaries so that they would hopefully progress to foster homes and eventual adoption. The last part of the book is an epilogue that shows where each dog is today. Perhaps the most telling part of the book is that when the dogs were first rescued, the evaluation team assessing their behavior had high hopes of rescuing and "making adoptable" five of the dogs. At the end of the book, all but five of the dogs were deemed adoptable, or worthy of living their lives out at a sanctuary. I really enjoyed the fact that Mr. Gorant picks many of the dogs and tells their individual stories--through their struggles with learning how to not fear humans and learning how to be just dogs and not fighting machines. My favorite story was about Sweet Jasmine, a pit bull who was catatonic whenever she was approached by humans, but after four months of intensive love and hard work was able to enjoy walking with humans and other dogs on a leash. This book truly dispels the myth that pit bulls are aggressive dogs that can not be rehabilitated and is something that every dog lover should read.