My Life Among the Underdogs

November 15, 2018

Star of the long-running Animal Planet series Pit Bulls & Parolees, Torres has a wealth of experience as a trainer and advocate for dogs of all kinds. She also founded Villalobos Rescue Center, New Orleans, initially a wolf/wolf hybrid rescue and now an all-breed rescue center, though pit bulls remain at the heart of their work. Readers get to know Torres through the stories of dogs who have played special roles in her life and the lives of her children. Duke and Moose, large red pit bulls, worked with the author on movie and music video sets in her career as an animal trainer. Junkyard Joe learned to channel his energy into drug detection. Monster lost his family but found a new best friend in Torres's son Moe. Each pit bull profiled shows the potential in rescue dogs, regardless of their backgrounds or breeds. VERDICT Animal-loving readers will be drawn to Torres's commitment to the "underdogs" she has spent her life caring for. There is also a built-in fan base of readers for her memoir, which reflects the spirit of her popular television show. [See Prepub Alert, 7/9/18.]--Meagan Storey, Virginia Beach

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2018
The star of Animal Planet's popular Pit Bulls & Parolees and founder of the Villalobos Rescue Center, Torres shares stories from the lives of several of the pit bulls nearest and dearest to her. After her brother dropped a wolf hybrid named Cujo on her doorstep, Torres fell in love with the breed, opening the Villalobos Rescue Center in Agua Dulce, California, in hopes of helping other abandoned wolves after their owners found them to be unsuitable as pets. But when Torres met Tatanka, a lovable pit bull who immediately took to Torres' young daughters, Torres shifted the focus of her rescue to the much misunderstood and maligned breed. Among the other pit bulls she adopted are L.A., who became the constant companion of her daughter, Mariah; Duke, who turned into a movie star alongside Mickey Rourke, Justin Timberlake, and Jake Gyllenhaal; and Junkyard Joe, whose bloodhound instincts got him work as a drug sniffer. Torres does vital, admirable work, and fans of her show as well as animal lovers in general will enjoy these warm-hearted recollections.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)