My Life Among the Underdogs: A Memoir

From one of the most respected figures in the dog rescue community come the harrowing | funny | and inspiring stories of nine incredible dogs that shaped her life.Tia Torres | beloved underdog advocate and star of Animal Planet's hit show Pit Bulls & Parolees | chronicles her roller-coaster life in this heartwarming memoir featuring some of her best-loved dogs. With inimitable honesty and characteristic brashness | Tia captures the spirit and heart of these intelligent and loving canines | while carrying us behind the scenes of her TV show | into the heart of post-Katrina New Orleans | onto the soundstages of Hollywood films | and even to the jungles of Sri Lanka.Tia has devoted her life to shattering the stereotype that pit bulls are dangerous | vicious predators. As the top dog at the Villalobos Rescue Center in New Orleans | the largest pit bull rescue in the United States | she and her team have rescued | rehabilitated | and rehomed hundreds of animals that might otherwise have been destroyed. As she puts it | Most of the stories in this book are about animals (and a few humans) that needed someone to believe in them and a purpose in order to show their true nobility. Each dog Tia writes about here has overcome abuse | trauma | neglect | or just bad luck to become a stalwart | loving companion to Tia and her family. You'll meetDuke | whose intelligence and matinee-idol looks made him a star in movies and music videos; Junkyard Joe | whose single-minded passion for tennis balls was channeled into expertise as a drug-sniffing dog;Bluie | the unswerving protector of Tia's daughter Tania; and a host of other unforgettable canines. My Life Among the Underdogs is above all a love story--one that is sure to grip the heart of anyone who has ever loved a dog.