My Life Among the Underdogs: A Memoir
Tia Torres
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication date: Feb. 18, 2018
Genre: Non-Fiction
Rating:
The beloved dog rescue advocate and star of Animal Planet’s hit show Pit Bulls & Parolees chronicles her life in this heartwarming memoir told through the stories of eleven of her best-loved dogs, capturing the spirit and heart of these beautiful, intelligent, and loving canines.
Tia Torres has devoted her life to shattering the stereotype that pit bulls are dangerous, vicious animals prone to bad behavior. Through her hit show Pit Bulls & Parolees she has shown the world that these wonderful animals have nothing but love to give. As the owner of the Villalobos Rescue Center in New Orleans, the largest pit bull rescue facility in the United States, Tia knows firsthand that pit bulls’ easygoing, adaptable, and vulnerable nature allows them to be used and abused, giving them a bad rep.
In My Life Among the Underdogs, she combines never-before-told rescue tales with select stories from Pitbulls & Parolees, introducing such amazing, affectionate dogs as Tatanka, Joe, LA, Duke, Moose, Monster, Lucky, Bluie, and Taz, who overcame abuse, trauma, and neglect to become forgiving and adoring friends and helpmates. A sweet and stirring gallery of unforgettable canines, My Life Among the Underdogs captures the hearts of dog lovers everywhere and is a testament to the loyalty, love, and devotion these dogs have to offer—if they’re only given the chance.
My thoughts…
I’m a big fan of the show. So much so that when I was doing a cross country drive, I made Villalobos one of the stops. I am a huge animal person, and the amount that Tia and her team take on is admirable. So, when I saw this audiobook at my library I was excited to dive in.
I really liked that this book featured a specific dog and their timeline with Tia. Whether it was her first dog that she had her father watch which she was in boot-camp, or a dog that one of her kids took on as their own, each dog got their time in the spotlight. I really enjoyed the stories of her trained movie dogs who would perform in music videos and Hollywood movies. The story of J-Lo and “Moosey” had be chuckling a lot. With that said, my one major issue is that these stories do not line up as a whole. I thought the book would sort of follow a chronological timeline, but that wasn’t the case. One story we are following a dog in New Orleans, the next story we are following Tia before she had the kids (or when they were tiny babies). I wish the book kind of followed a timeline so I had a better understanding of the overall pictured.
I will say that these dogs, and the humans have been through a lot. There were so many stories of these dogs not only persevering, but showing the world that they were much more than just a dog. While the timeline of the chapters was a bit jarring, the message still rang through.
