"DogTown"
Two of the “DogTown” book’s cover models are still looking for homes. Check out Zeke and Enzo in the Best Friends Adorable Adoptables. | |
The millions who have come to cherish National Geographic Channel’s “DogTown” now have another medium in which to indulge their enthusiasm for the work Best Friends does saving the lives of dogs.
The National Geographic Society releases a companion book to the television series on October 27. Titled “DogTown: Tales of Rescue, Rehabilitation, and Redemption,” the book profiles 17 dogs who have been rescued and rehabilitated by Best Friends and featured on the series. A portion of the proceeds goes directly to Best Friends Animal Society.
Without the time constraint that comes with the series’ one-hour episodes, author Stefan Bechtel is able to flesh out each of the dogs’ stories and provide insight into how the staff at Best Friends helps dogs overcome the challenges they face behaviorally and medically.
Among the dogs profiled in the book are Georgia, one of the 22 pit bulls freed from the Michael Vick dogfighting compound and rehabilitated by Best Friends; Rush, a shepherd rescued from the war-ravaged streets of Beirut and transported to our sanctuary; and Scruffy, a painfully shy terrier mix scooped from the streets of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Bechtel does a weaver’s job of covering not just the dogs’ stories, but the history of Best Friends as well, and how it came to run the largest no-kill shelter in the country.
Bechtel also illuminates the history and personalities of the staff at Dogtown who star in the television series, including co-managers John Garcia and Michelle Besmehn, veterinarians Dr. Mike Dix and Dr. Patti Iampietro, behavior and training consultant Sherry Woodard, and trainers Pat Whitacre and Ann Allums.
Each of these “DogTown” stars contributes a personal essay to the book about the dogs who have inspired them in their lives and respective professions. The introduction, by Best Friends’ co-founder Faith Maloney, adds another rich layer to the book, deepening readers’ understanding of the commitment Best Friends and its staff have made to the animals living at the sanctuary.
“I believe in second chances, and who deserves a second chance more than a dog who is just down on his or her luck?,” asks Golden Globe actor Mickey Rourke in the book’s foreword. “And of course, that’s what “DogTown” is all about and what National Geographic’s coverage of Best Friends’ work on television and now in this book is so important.”
For more information or to purchase the book, click here.
New episodes of “DogTown” begin in January. Stay tuned here for more information.
Written by Best Friends staff
Photo by Molly Wald
As part of Best Friends’ 25th anniversary in 2009, our goal is to double our membership, so we can double our efforts to bring about a time when all companion animals have a forever home. What can you do to help? Give the Gift of a Best Friends membership to family and friends.
