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DogTown: Tales of Rescue, Rehabilitation, and Redemption

Stefan Bechtel

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Oct 25, 2013 Kristin rated it it was amazing

I read a book about the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary many years ago and enjoyed it very much, so I was pleased to come across this book focusing on memorable residents of their canine area, known as Dogtown. Unfortunately, the book is a few years old now, and the accompanying TV show by the same name that also featured some of these dogs is no longer airing on cable TV, a shame, because I really liked this book and would have loved to see some of the stories play out on film. That said, this bo I read a book about the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary many years ago and enjoyed it very much, so I was pleased to come across this book focusing on memorable residents of their canine area, known as Dogtown. Unfortunately, the book is a few years old now, and the accompanying TV show by the same name that also featured some of these dogs is no longer airing on cable TV, a shame, because I really liked this book and would have loved to see some of the stories play out on film. That said, this book should definitely not be passed over just because the TV show has ended, as you would miss out on some great reading.
The dogs featured run the gamut of sizes, ages, and dispositions. Early on, Dogtown discusses some of their permanent residents, dogs seized from Michael Vick's dogfighting operation that were deemed too dangerous to remain freely in society. Best Friends is a no-kill shelter, out in the Utah desert with plenty of land and few neighbors, so it is well-equipped to handle dogs with complex behavioral or medical needs. While the Vick dogs fit into the first category, my favorite dog profiled fit into the second. Wiggles was a bulldog mix with a distinctive wobbly gait and a habit of leaving a trail of dog turds behind him as he walked. Once the Best Friends medical team determined that Wiggles' issues were likely ones he was born with and non-correctable, but that he was a happy, pleasant dog whose life was not compromised by his birth defects, the adoption team worked to find him the perfect home with a family who could love him just the way he was. The adoption team remains committed to their efforts to find every dog a home who can have one (the Vick dogs are court-ordered to live at Best Friends forever, and there are many others still in the process of being deemed adoptable), as evidenced by the story of Mr. Bones, who finally found a home after well over a decade of living in Dogtown, having built a fan club of volunteers who would return year after year just to check in on their favorite resident, a fan club who eventually helped get Bones to his new home and also returned his ashes to the memorial park at Best Friends when Bones passed away.
Staff members at Dogtown are profiled too, explaining what pulled them in to work with the team at Best Friends, and some of the lessons they learned from working with the dogs. It reaffirmed what I already knew, that there is a great team of committed people who are looking out for the best interests of all of the animals there. If I ever am fortunate to visit Utah, I would make time in my schedule to visit Best Friends and volunteer with them. And perhaps, if I could work the travel right, I would be able to bring home a Dogtown resident for myself, to free up a space for another dog in need of the TLC offered by the dedicated individuals at Best Friends. ...more

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