Animals

I love dogs. And I love books.

Lately, these two loves have come together in my kick to read pet-themed books, and judging by the shelves at my bookstore, people are on a kick to write them – so it’s a win-win for me.

The two most recent that have made their way into my basket are “Oogy” by Larry Levin and “One Good Dog” by Susan Wilson (to be reviewed another day).

Background from Amazon: “In 2002, Larry Levin and his twin sons, Dan and Noah, took their terminally ill cat to the Ardmore Animal Hospital outside Philadelphia to have the beloved pet put to sleep. What would begin as a terrible day suddenly got brighter as the ugliest dog they had ever seen–one who was missing an ear and had half his face covered in scar tissue–ran up to them and captured their hearts. The dog had been used as bait for fighting dogs when he was just a few months old. He had been thrown in a cage and left to die until the police rescued him and the staff at Ardmore Animal Hospital saved his life. The Levins, whose sons are themselves adopted, were unable to resist Oogy’s charms, and decided to take him home.”

I’ve been meaning to review Oogy for a bit but haven’t simply because… I haven’t finished it. I want to, if that counts, because as a bully breed advocate and someone who rallied to change pittie adoption laws in her hometown, it has all the markers for a story I’d really like to love: Former fighting stock with face torn apart finds accidental solace in the arms of a loving but new-to-dog-owning family of four and hilarity and life lessons ensue. And that’s exactly how it’s packaged. Except, as I got into it, it started to lose its oomph – and at no fault to Oogy.

Oogy was a bait dog, not a fighting dog – and though it’s amazing in itself that he was found alive (as bait dogs very rarely live to tell their tale) and even more amazing that there was a vet and family wonderful enough to provide him the chance he deserved and all the constant surgeries to correct his forever disabled skull structure – there is a large difference between a bait puppy and a ring dog getting a second chance – with the latter having far more than surgeries to overcome. BOTH are honorable, and the physical damage Oogy endured and lives his days with are worth sharing, but I sort of expected Oogy’s history to be different and for him to have been older when he was taken in. Instead, he was just a few weeks old when the Levin’s adopted him, giving Oogy a far more normal and socialized upbringing and far less behavioral issues/training to overcome. So my expectations for the tale didn’t match the real thing, which was a bit of a letdown.

What I did appreciate was reading from a novice’s point of view as the Levin’s discovered what society expected Oogy to be like, what prejudices he faced, what hatred and bias the community and world would have toward him (especially looking deformed and half eaten) simply because of what the media and poor owners have shown us. I was so excited for the legwork Larry put into helping to reform that assumption, the effort he put toward making Oogy an ambassador for bully breeds who truly deserve SOMEONE to be in their court. I appreciated the tales of this goofy, devoted, forgiving and beautiful animal that society has condemned for existing – because it’s how I feel about these breeds. I was thrilled to have a normal person, with no background in rescue or fighting, discover for himself (and share with the world) the amazing capacity these dogs have to move forward and provide kindness. I feel if I didn’t have the background I do, I’d have appreciated this book more, but it’s also the same reason I encourage others to pick it up. His beginning isn’t as rare as it should be and more folks need to know it.

Working alongside so many breeds my entire life, especially working cruelty cases, I often forget just how few people DO get to experience a fair selection of all dog breeds so they are able to realize just how fantastic bully breeds really are, when raised with good intentions, and how many chances the regular Joe doesn’t get to see what a true fighting stock dog looks like – an experience that would solidify in anyone’s mind that these dogs wouldn’t want this lifestyle if they’d had any choice in the matter. It was refreshing to read Levin’s journey through the distrust and horror – to experience with fresh eyes as he learned of a bait dog’s purpose and the environments and training techniques bully breeds endure — and I hoped people who dislike bully breeds were picking up the book by the thousands and absorbing in all Levin could offer them.

That being said – the book lost its luster about halfway through. While Oogy (who is not a pittie, btw) has hilarious tales of a 90+ lb dog with the mentality of a lapdog, anyone who has owned a large dog has probably had similar experiences with their pet’s inability to judge size, so the stories weren’t abnormally hilarious to me. Having experience with dog fighting cases, the shocking information he provided wasn’t new, so the lesson was lost on this reader. Also, while Levin’s loyalty and admiration of his dog are fantastic, he doesn’t have the story-telling skills of John Grogan (a la Marley & Me), so poor Oogy’s moments are often undersold. I also found some stories, such as Oogy’s fear of crossing certain lawn boundaries due to his poor experiences with their electric fence, to be more sad than funny, and a reminder of how novice an owner Levin really is. And unlike Marley & Me, which was written as a memoriam after Marley had passed, Oogy is still alive and well (with cute YouTube videos!), so I’m not sure how he plans to wrap it up.

Overall, as a dog lover, it was a cute and easy read thus far, and Oogy’s spirit and physical stature is sure to captivate even the darkest of hearts. It’s a wonderful tale of a throw-away pup who earned a well deserved life outside of the ring, despite its newbie writing style, so you WILL enjoy it – and if you’ve not much experience with bully breeds and fighting rings, you’re sure to find it far more helpful and touching — and perhaps in the last 2 chapters that I can’t seem to sit down and get to, Levin pens a wonderful finish. I just get the feeling that Levin adores his dog and wanted his story told, except there wasn’t much writing skill or story to BE told past the first few chapters. Overall, the jury is still out on how I feel about it. While not much of the information or stories were truly new to me, they are to most and could be quite beneficial, so while I didn’t read the entire book – I want others to.

Helpful right?

animal welfare, Animals, books, BSL & pit bulls, reviews & recommendations Compassion > Personal Life