My Life Among the Underdogs, Tia Torres
My Life Among the Underdogs, Tia Torres
4 Rating(s)
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My Life Among the Underdogs
A Memoir

Author: Tia Torres

Narrator: Tia Torres

Unabridged: 5 hr 51 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 01/15/2019

Categories: Nonfiction, Pets


Synopsis

From one of the most respected figures in the dog rescue community come the harrowing, funny, and inspiring stories of nine incredible dogs that shaped her life.Tia Torres, beloved underdog advocate and star of Animal Planets hit show Pit Bulls & Parolees, chronicles her roller-coaster life in this heartwarming memoir featuring some of her best-loved dogs. With inimitable honesty and characteristic brashness, Tia captures the spirit and heart of these intelligent and loving canines, while carrying us behind the scenes of her TV show, into the heart of post-Katrina New Orleans, onto the soundstages of Hollywood films, and even to the jungles of Sri Lanka.Tia has devoted her life to shattering the stereotype that Pit Bulls are dangerous, vicious predators. As the top dog at the Villalobos Rescue Center in New Orleans, the largest Pit Bull rescue in the United States, she and her team have rescued, rehabilitated, and re-homed hundreds of animals that might otherwise have been destroyed. As she puts it, Most of the stories in this book are about animals (and a few humans) that needed someone to believe in them and a purpose in order to show their true nobility.Each dog Tia writes about here has overcome abuse, trauma, neglect, or just bad luck to become a stalwart, loving companion to Tia and her family. You'll meet Duke, whose intelligence and matinee-idol looks made him a star in movies and music videos; Junkyard Joe, whose singleminded passion for tennis balls was channeled into expertise as a drug-sniffing dog; Bluie, the unswerving protector of Tia's daughter Tania; and a host of other unforgettable canines.My Life Among the Underdogs is above all a love story one that is sure to grip the heart of anyone who has ever owned or been owned by a dog.

About Tia Torres

Tia Torres is the founder and proprietor of Villalobos Rescue Center, the largest Pit Bull facility in the United States, and the star of the hugely popular Animal Planet show Pit Bulls & Parolees, which has been on the air since 2009. After serving six years in the army, Torres worked for a Los Angeles city program to curb gang violence, serving as a liaison between the city and gang members. She also became an advocate for Pit Bulls, forming the Pit Bull Support Group, which offered free classes and assistance for Pit Bull owners. In 2006, she launched Underdawgz, a program that pairs parolees with rescue dogs. Tia lives somewhere in the swamps of south Louisiana with eight dogs.


Reviews

Goodreads review by SUSAN *Nevertheless,she persisted* on January 16, 2019

A book filled with heartwarming and heart wrenching stories. My hat is off to those that devote their lives to rescuing ,and rehabilitating those without a voice. Great read,would recommend the book and her show on Animal Planet "Pit bulls and Parolees"......more

Goodreads review by Stephen on January 20, 2025

I don’t know if there has been a book that has made me laugh and cry as much. It definitely is one that I am happy to add to my ‘dogs-favorite-books’ shelf. Although books around dog rescue seem to have an easier time being good enough to get there, this book shines more with getting to know the aut......more

Goodreads review by Nikki on January 20, 2019

I had trouble figuring out which book I wanted to read next last night, so I decided to /start/ Tia's book this morning....and promptly finished it about four hours later. I love this book for a lot of reasons. It's very reminiscent of Sy Montgomery's How To Be A Good Creature without the usual anima......more

Goodreads review by Tracy on February 02, 2019

This memoir has lots of ups and downs, but such a great read. Tia and pit bulls are an inspiration to me! I hope she writes another book.......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on February 06, 2019

The amount of times I cried 😭😭😭 I really enjoyed this book, from the colorful stories of some really sweet Pits, to even the horrors of humanity that make innocent animals suffer, it was a good and emotional read. As a lover of Pits and owner of one really really good boy myself, the amount of fear......more