Rethinking Rescue
Dog Lady and the Story of America’s Forgotten People and Pets
“Finely crafted…a provocative challenge to contemporary mores regarding animal welfare.”—Publishers weekly (starred review)
“My learning curve was vertical. Riveting.”—Marc Bekoff, Psychology Today
“What Matthew Desmond’s Evicted does for housing, Mithers does for pet ownership.”—DAME
“Enlightening and compassionate…Readers will never look at animal rescue the same way.”
—Library Journal
In Los Angeles’s most underserved communities, Lori Weise is known as the Dog Lady, the woman who’s spent decades caring for people in poverty and the animals that love them. Long before anyone else, Weise understood that animal and human suffering are inextricably connected. She created a new rescue narrative as well as an enduring safety net that empowers humans and reduces the number of pets coming into shelters.
In telling her story, Rethinking Rescue confronts two of our time’s major challenges, poverty and homelessness, as it asks a central question: Who deserves the love of a pet?
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Interviews, Excerpts and Praise for Rethinking Rescue
“New Book Says We Need to be Rethinking Rescue of Animals” — NPR’s Here & Now, NPR Book of the Day
“The Complicated Heroism of Animal Rescue” —The Washington Post
“Beyond Saviors & Suffering” —Literary Hub
“Who Deserves the Love of a Dog?”—Psychology Today
Through the story of one amazing woman, Rethinking Rescue tells the uplifting but often heartbreaking story of how the modern animal rescue movement has both saved and failed our nation’s dogs – and their humans. As it takes us on a journey into a world where animal welfare meets and collides with America’s seemingly intractable inequality, the books asks some hard questions. It’s a haunting and compelling read, one that’s all but impossible to put down till the final page.”
— Helaine Olen, Omidyar Networker Reporter in Residents, 2024 and author of Pound Foolish: Exposing the Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry.
“Lori Weise’s heroic work keeps animals with the people who love them.”
— Danny Trejo, Actor and New York Times bestselling author
“In this important story, Carol Mithers explores the unexpected impacts of economic inequality on America’s pets and pet owners and suggests solutions to some of today’s central human-animal issues.”
— Abigail Disney, filmmaker, philanthropist and activist
“Animal lovers everywhere can take heart from the story of Lori Weise, whose trailblazing crusade brought social justice to the animal welfare brigade.”
— Sandy Banks, columnist, Los Angeles Times
“An eye-opening look at the systemic challenges faced by loving pet owners whose only ‘crime’ is being poor – and the inspiring advocates working tirelessly to give both animals and humans a life-changing (and in some cases lifesaving) helping hand.”
— Bobbi Dempsey, journalist covering poverty and income inequality