A review by robin_is_me
DogTown: Tales of Rescue, Rehabilitation, and Redemption by Stefan Bechtel

emotional hopeful inspiring slow-paced

5.0

I was not familiar with the TV show DogTown, not having cable and therefore not having the National Geographic channel, but of course the title of the book and the dog on the cover caught my eye. I follow so many rescue organizations on FB, and dogs are my spirit animal. So I was excited to dive into this book, and it did not disappoint. 

Each chapter is focused on one or two specific dogs, almost all of them having come to Dogtown from a bad situation – hoarding, puppy mills, even a couple of the Vicktory Dogs, as the pitties involved in Michael Vick’s dogfighting operation came to be called. But one dog’s story especially touched me. Knightly had lived his whole life in a safe loving home as part of the family, but his owners were elderly and eventually were unable to take care of themselves, much less Knightly. Long story short, Knightly found himself at Dogtown, where he was bewildered, anxious, and depressed. I could easily picture him, lost in his new world, and my heart just ached. I’m actually tearing up right now, just writing about him. My last dog experienced a similar situation, finding his way to me after his owner passed away. Unlike Knightly, he was unsocialized, having been around pretty much nobody but his one owner for six years. But like Knightly, he was bewildered and anxious. It took several weeks for me to gain his trust, for him to allow me to pet him, and thankfully I did break through his emotional barriers and win him over and I believe he was happy with me. Unfortunately, I only got four years with him, before he passed away. All this to say Knightly’s story struck a note with me. 

But enough about me. I very much enjoyed this book, sad at times, but also uplifting and hopeful, and I truly admire the staff of Dogtown and their devotion to their charges.