Rescue Ink

RESCUE INK is the name of a group of displaced bikers dedicated to rescuing down-on-their luck critters. The crew--made up of members with names like Angel, Big Ant, and Batso--gets its start by rescuing an obviously abused pit bull, pathetically stripped to bare skin, whom they nickname "Ribbon" and deftly turn into their club mascot. Similar tales abound--sure to tug on the heartstrings of animal lovers everywhere--and as the subtitle makes clear, they end up pulling off some amazing animal interventions. Narrator Tom Weiner gives a dazzling performance with his stately and resonant delivery. Whereas some readers betray their own personal sympathies with telltale nuances, Weiner hovers above the fray, giving it his trademark authoritative air but sounding none too pompous at the same time--perfect for a heartrending saga like this. J.S.H. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

July 13, 2009
The brawny and heavily tattooed bikers constituting Rescue Ink, formed officially in 2008, have put a bounty on abusive dog (and other animal) owners. For almost a year, Flaim (The Holistic Dog Book
) rode along with Batso, Big Ant, Johnny O, Angel, G and their five intimidating compadres on “in your face” missions to rescue abused and neglected animals, track down stolen dogs, teach compassion toward animals to high school students, rescue an estimated 180 cats from a house and—in one harrowing account—confront a cruel recluse who was killing squirrels, birds and strays in his backyard for sport. Flaim ably blends colorful profiles of the individual members—Joe Panz “is the kind of guy who could break out in hives just from saying the word frappuccino”—with journalistic accounts of their interventions with “trappers, torturers and garden-variety dirtbags.” Starring in a National Geographic reality television show premiering this fall, the all-volunteer group's commitment inspires and endears. Photos.