"Rescue Ink: How Ten Guys Saved Countless Dogs and Cats..." by Rescue Ink and Denise Flaim

I got this book for hubby dearest who has watched the show "Rescue Ink" on TV. He's talked about it quite a bit, so getting the book was a no-brainer. What was interesting was how much he talked about the book, too, so much that I decided I would read it myself.

This is a great book if you're an animal lover, and a great book if you're not - it's going to tell you how to treat your animals right. The guys are basically a bunch of softies when it comes to dogs, especially pit bulls, which several of them have as personal pets. But they also rescue cats, pigs, turtles, horses, etc; if someone is mistreating an animal or can no longer care for it in the way it should be cared for, they'll step in and take over.

I thought the set-up was perfect, too; each chapter is devoted to one of the main guys that make up the group Rescue Ink. There's the oldest member, Batso, who certainly doesn't look his age (I won't tell you how old he is, but I bet you'll be surprised, too). There's the two "tough guys", Joe and Big Ant, who look like they should be linebackers on a football team somewhere. G is a quiet black man. Des is actually a cat guy. There's also Johnny O, Eric, Robert, Bruce, Angel, and the one brave woman who works the phones, Mary. Most of the guys have tattoos (some have a lot of them), and several of them are into motorcycles and classic cars.

What makes them different is their collective passion to rescue animals and to train their owners. As more than one of them comments, there are no bad dogs, just bad owners. The guys use their intimidating looks to convince owners to do the right thing, including giving up the animals when they are in dire need of medical attention. Some of the stories are just heart-breaking, and too many of them involve starving dogs and animal abuse. I found it hard to read some of the cases involving fight dogs, mostly because the ones Rescue Ink responds to are the "bait" dogs, the ones used to train the others how to be aggressive and not back down until the other dog is dead. How anyone can do that sort of thing is just beyond me.

Rescue Ink is a state of mind, not just about being a big guy with a lot of tattoos and attitude. I just wish they could be all over the country, not just in New York. Maybe if they're successful enough they'll expand!