Rescue Ink

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.

August 15, 2009
Anybody encountering these tattooed, motorcycle-riding, expletive-using, pit bull-loving menwith names like Big Ant, G., and Batso and checkered pasts that include gang membership and reform schoolmight be tempted to run the other way. But underneath the hard-boiled exteriors beat tender hearts moved to champion neglected and abused animals. Flaim ("The Holistic Dog Book") allows the members of Rescue Ink (www.rescueink.org), a Long Island, NY-based group, to introduce themselves and recount their exploits. Their stories include rescuing hundreds of cats living in putrid conditions in the home of a hoarder, saving starving dogs housed in filthy enclosures, rehoming sweet-natured pit bulls that had been used as bait to train other fighting dogs, and preventing animal cruelty through their "Abusers are losers" educational program. VERDICT This gripping book will appeal to fans of "Dewey" and "Marley & Me" as well as readers interested in animal welfare or addicted to Animal Planet's "Animal Cops" TV show. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 6/1/09; the group will be featured in a new fall series on the National Geographic Channel.Ed.]Florence Scarinci, Nassau Community Coll. Lib., Garden City, NY

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2009
Rescue Ink was founded by the type of guys that your parents told you to cross the street to avoid. Tattooed bikers and hot-rodders, muscles on top of muscles, attitude personifiedand these guys are an animal-rescue group. With nicknames like Big Ant, Batso, Angel, and Mike Tattoo, the immediate reaction of anyone meeting Rescue Ink for the first time is warinessuntil you see them in action. Writer Flaim (The Holistic Dog Book, 2003) rode shotgun with Rescue Ink on many of its missions, and along with tales of animal salvation, we also get the backstories on the members of the group. Much like their own checkered backgrounds, the members of Rescue Ink realize that the better than worst case scenario is often the best thing to settle for, making the best of a bad situation and leaving things better for the animal than they found it. These tough guys defy the stereotype of animal rescue as a female pursuit, and their in-your-face demeanor will make readers cheer.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)