Synopses & Reviews
An inspiring story of survival and our powerful bond with man's best friend, in the aftermath of the nation's most notorious case of animal cruelty. Animal lovers and sports fans were shocked when the story broke about NFL player Michael Vick's brutal dog fighting operation. But what became of the dozens of dogs who survived? As acclaimed writer Jim Gorant discovered, their story is the truly newsworthy aspect of this case. Expanding on Gorant's Sports Illustrated cover story, The Lost Dogs traces the effort to bring Vick to justice and turns the spotlight on these infamous pit bulls, which were saved from euthanasia by an outpouring of public appeals coupled with a court order that Vick pay nearly a million dollars in "restitution" to the dogs.
As an ASPCA-led team evaluated each one, they found a few hardened fighters, but many more lovable, friendly creatures desperate for compassion. In The Lost Dogs, we meet these amazing animals, a number of which are now living in loving homes, while some even work in therapy programs: Johnny Justice participates in Paws for Tales, which lets kids get comfortable with reading aloud by reading to dogs; Leo spends three hours a week with cancer patients and troubled teens. At the heart of the stories are the rescue workers who transformed the pups from victims of animal cruelty into healing caregivers themselves, unleashing priceless hope.
Includes an 8-page photo insert.
Review
"
The Lost Dogs takes an up close and personal look at society's ultimate underdogs, and the animal lovers who bucked the odds-- and the system--to save them. Gorant has crafted an insightful and uplifting tale about the way that nurture can sometimes triumph over nature, and how the remnants of cruelty can be transformed through the power of hope and love."
-Allen St. John, author of The Billion Dollar Game: Behind the Scenes at the Super Bowl
"Swinging between the sordid actions of Michael Vick and his dog-fighting cohorts and the stories of the animals rescued from their clutches, Jim Gorant provides a powerful narrative that is, at times, heartbreaking, but also illuminating and inspirational. You will come away from The Lost Dogs warmed by the knowledge that it wasn't only Vick who got a second chance."
-George Dohrmann
"[The Lost Dogs] should be read by dog lovers. I was surprised to learn that three-quarter of the dogs could be completely rehabilitated. They were either traumatized and scared or friendly dogs who had spent too much time in a barren kennel."
-Temple Grandin, author Animals in Translation
"Jim Gorant's remarkably even-handed The Lost Dogs is a gripping story of redemption that uncovers the other side of the Michael Vick story. A portrait of dogs as individuals, caught up in events that reveal the best and worst of human nature, The Lost Dogs will validate dog lovers and possibly transform cynics as well."
-Ken Foster, author of The Dogs Who Found Me
"Jim Gorant goes beyond the headlines of Michael Vick and the Bad News Kennels to richly tell the rest of the story: how these amazing dogs, in the wake of such brutality, help bring out the best in the human spirit."
-Tom Verducci, author of The Yankee Years
"Beautifully written and forthright [...] The Lost Dogs should make some news; not just for animal lovers but for anyone pondering the human propensity for violence and goodness."
-Library Journal
Review
"Gorant's fine book is a heartwarming tale of how the love and commitment of a community can heal even the deepest and most abhorrent of traumas."
Review
"The Lost Dogs is a page-turning investigation of dog fighting and an implicit indictment of the sport."
Review
"The Lost Dogs has the quality of a page-turner as it chronicles the entire story, in all its upsetting detail, of the dogs' rescue and re-entry into the world."
Review
"A well-researched, moving account"
Review
"The Lost Dogs shows us that goodness can be found in the places where we may least expect it."
Review
"Packed with vivid characters and dramatic incidents, The Lost Dogs is a sobering reminder that man's best friend isn't always viewed that way. But this deeply affecting portrayal also reflects that fairy-tale endings are within reach when those involved are infused with spirit, confidence and commitment."
Review
"Gorant has crafted an insightful and uplifting tale about the way th
Review
"Jim Gorant provides a powerful narrative that is, at times, heartbreaking, but also illuminating and inspirational. You will come away from The Lost Dogs warmed by the knowledge that it wasn't only Vick who got a second chance."
Review
"The Lost Dogs should be read by dog lovers."
Review
"The Lost Dogs is a gripping story of redemption that uncovers the other side of the Michael Vick story."
Review
"Jim Gorant goes beyond the headlines of Michael Vick and the Bad News Kennels to richly tell the rest of the story: how these amazing dogs, in the wake of such brutality, help bring out the best in the human spirit."
Review
andquot;The best and most important book about animals written in 2010andquot;
Review
andldquo;Readers of Gorantandrsquo;s book will want to jump up and whoop, andlsquo;Good dog!andrsquo;andrdquo;
andmdash;The Boston Globe
Review
and#160;andldquo;A well-researched, moving accountandrdquo;
Review
"The best and most important book about animals written in 2010"
—The San Francisco Chronicle
Review
“Readers of Gorant’s book will want to jump up and whoop, ‘Good dog!’”
—The Boston Globe
Review
“A well-researched, moving account”
—The New Yorker Book Bench
Review
Praise for The Lost Dogs: andldquo;Gorantandrsquo;s fine book is a heartwarming tale of how the love and commitment of a community can heal even the deepest and most abhorrent of traumas.andrdquo;
andmdash;Sports Illustrated
Review
"Compelling and suprisingly elegant [...] Gorant's clear prose steers the reader through the little-known world of 'disc dogs' [...] Gorant never lets the narrative slip into the saccharine, and Wallace's story will charm even readers who never knew they were interested in put bulls or disc dogs."
—Publishers Weekly
Review
andnbsp;andldquo;A well-researched, moving accountandrdquo;
andmdash;The New Yorker Book Bench
Review
"Gorant's fine book is a heartwarming tale of how the love and commitment of a community can heal even the deepest and most abhorrent of traumas."
Review
andquot;Compelling and suprisingly elegant [...] Gorant's clear prose steers the reader through the little-known world of 'disc dogs' [...] Gorant never lets the narrative slip into the saccharine, and Wallace's story will charm even readers who never knew they were interested in put bulls or disc dogs.andquot;
andmdash;Publishers Weekly
Review
Praise for WALLACE:
"Compelling and suprisingly elegant [...] Wallace's story will charm even readers who never knew they were interested in put bulls or disc dogs."
—Publishers Weekly
"Dog lovers will certainly enjoy the story of Wallace’s journey." --Kirkus
Review
Praise for WALLACE:
andquot;Compelling and suprisingly elegant [...] Wallace's story will charm even readers who never knew they were interested in put bulls or disc dogs.andquot;
andmdash;Publishers Weekly
andquot;Dog lovers will certainly enjoy the story of Wallaceandrsquo;s journey.andquot; --Kirkus
Review
Praise for WALLACE:
"Compelling and surprisingly elegant [...] Wallace's story will charm even readers who never knew they were interested in put bulls or disc dogs."
—Publishers Weekly
"Dog lovers will certainly enjoy the story of Wallaces journey."
—Kirkus
Praise for THE LOST DOGS:
“Gorants fine book is a heartwarming tale of how the love and commitment of a community can heal even the deepest and most abhorrent of traumas.”
—Sports Illustrated
“Readers of Gorants book will want to jump up and whoop, ‘Good dog!”
—The Boston Globe
The Lost Dogs “has the quality of a page-turner as it chronicles the entire story, in all its upsetting detail, of the dogs' rescue and re-entry into the world."
—Los Angeles Times
“A well-researched, moving account”
—The New Yorker Book Bench
"The Lost Dogs shows us that goodness can be found in the places where we may least expect it.”
—The Christian Science Monitor
"The best and most important book about animals written in 2010"
—The San Francisco Chronicle
Synopsis
An inspiring story of survival and our powerful bond with man's best friend, in the aftermath of the nation's most notorious case of animal cruelty. Animal lovers and sports fans were shocked when the story broke about NFL player Michael Vick's brutal dog fighting operation. But what became of the dozens of dogs who survived? As acclaimed writer Jim Gorant discovered, their story is the truly newsworthy aspect of this case. Expanding on Gorant's Sports Illustrated cover story, The Lost Dogs traces the effort to bring Vick to justice and turns the spotlight on these infamous pit bulls, which were saved from euthanasia by an outpouring of public appeals coupled with a court order that Vick pay nearly a million dollars in "restitution" to the dogs.
As an ASPCA-led team evaluated each one, they found a few hardened fighters, but many more lovable, friendly creatures desperate for compassion. In The Lost Dogs, we meet these amazing animals, a number of which are now living in loving homes, while some even work in therapy programs: Johnny Justice participates in Paws for Tales, which lets kids get comfortable with reading aloud by reading to dogs; Leo spends three hours a week with cancer patients and troubled teens. At the heart of the stories are the rescue workers who transformed the pups from victims of animal cruelty into healing caregivers themselves, unleashing priceless hope.
Includes an 8-page photo insert.
Synopsis
The bestselling story of survival and our powerful bond with man's best friend, in the aftermath of the nation's most notorious animal cruelty case. Featuring a new Afterword with updates on the Vick dogs.
Animal lovers and sports fans were shocked when the story broke about NFL player Michael Vick's brutal dog-fighting operation. But what became of the fifty-one dogs who survived? As acclaimed writer Jim Gorant reveals, their story is the truly newsworthy aspect of this case. The Lost Dogs traces the effort to bring Vick to justice and turns the spotlight on these infamous pit bulls, which were saved from euthanasia by an outpouring of public appeals coupled with a court order that Vick pay nearly a million dollars in "restitution" to the dogs.
As an ASPCA-led team evaluated each one, they found a few hardened fighters, but most were lovable, friendly creatures desperate for compassion. In The Lost Dogs, we meet these amazing animals, many of whom now live in loving homes and work in therapy programs. The Lost Dogs exposes the terrible practice of dog fighting and shows us that even after being subjected to heartbreaking abuse, above all, a dog still wants to be man's best friend.
Synopsis
The author of the New York Times bestseller The Lost Dogs shares the heartwarming tale of one plucky, unwanted pit bull who achieved international celebrity.
Today, Wallace is a champion. But in the summer of 2005, he was living in a shelter, a refugee from a suspicious pit bull–breeding operation. Then Andrew “Roo” Yori entered the picture. A scientist and shelter volunteer, Roo could tell immediately that Wallace was something special. While on his honeymoon, Roo learned that Wallace was about to be put down. Frantic—and even though they already had two dogs—Roo and his wife fought to keep Wallace alive until they could return home to adopt him.
Once Wallace made it home, Roo knew the dog needed a mission, and serendipity led them to the world of competitive Frisbee dogs. It seemed like a terrible idea. Pit bulls are everything that most Frisbee dogs aren’t: large and heavy with thick muscles that can make them look less than graceful. But that was fine with Roo—because part of his mission was to change people’s minds about pit bulls. After overcoming everything from injuries to prejudice against the breed, the unlikely pair became World Champions.
Movingly told by bestselling author Jim Gorant, Wallace will capture the hearts of animal lovers everywhere—and help rescue this popular breed’s unfairly tarnished reputation.
Synopsis
The author of the New York Times bestseller The Lost Dogs shares the heartwarming tale of one plucky, unwanted pit bull who achieved international celebrity.
Today, Wallace is a champion. But in the summer of 2005, he was living in a shelter, a refugee from a suspicious pit bulland#150;breeding operation. Andrew and#147;Rooand#8221; Yori, a scientist and shelter volunteer, could tell immediately that Wallace was something special. While on his honeymoon, Roo learned that Wallace was about to be put down. Franticand#151;and even though they already had two dogsand#151;Roo and his wife fought to keep Wallace alive until they could return home to adopt him.
Once Wallace made it home, Roo knew the dog needed a mission, and serendipity led them to the world of competitive Frisbee dogs. It seemed like a terrible idea. Pit bulls are everything that most Frisbee dogs arenand#8217;t: large and heavy with thick muscles that can make them look less than graceful. But after overcoming everything from injuries to prejudice against the breed, the unlikely pair became World Champions.
Movingly told by bestselling author Jim Gorant, Wallace will capture the hearts of animal lovers everywhereand#151;and help rescue this popular breedand#8217;s unfairly tarnished reputation.
About the Author
Jim Gorant has worked as a magazine editor and writer for twenty years and is currently a senior editor at Sports Illustrated. He is the author of Fanatic: Ten Things All Sports Fans Should Do before They Die, and his work has appeared in magazines such as Men’s Journal, GQ, and Outside.