Rescued: Based on a True Dog Story

By: David D Lambert

Narrated by: Mike Norgaard

Length: 23 mins

Publisher's summary

What you will find inside: Pit bulls are exposed to a lot of controversies and debates. While some believe that they are harmless dogs that are simply forced into becoming violent by their trainers and owners, others believe they are born violent and ferocious. But time and time again, you hear stories of their courage, loyalty, and compassion, and it is these stories that make you wonder if they really deserve to be treated the way they are. This is one such true story about a "pit bull type dog" who went from being hated and feared for being born "unidentified" to finding his true identity as a loved and valued life companion.

Once pit bulls were family dogs, however, after the '80s when drug lords trained pit bulls to be violent, they have come to be feared and shunned from family homes. But that's only part of the story. There's another side to them that is just as compassionate and full of love as any man or animal that is given the respect and value it deserves. Pit bulls are one of the most misunderstood breed of dogs in today's times. They come in all shapes and sizes because of their generalization. Today, there are hundreds of breed mixes that are commonly identified as pit bulls.

This story is about: The struggles of millions of pit bull puppies that are left to fend for themselves. The stereotypes and generalizations that they have to face each day. Their personality traits and what makes them just as lovable. A heroic gesture that saves a family's life. Acceptance and a permanent home for the pit bull.

©2015 David D Lambert (P)2015 David D Lambert

A hard one for me to rate!!

I have a PitBull named Diamond who just turned 16 years old this past June. I've had her since she has been 8 weeks old, and she is the love of my life. ❤🐕 She has been with me through thick and thin, ups and downs, happiness and tears. She is the best in every way possible! She is getting to that age, though, where I have to remind myself that my life with her will one day end....so sad! She has brought so much joy to my life, and because of it, I have taken it upon myself to learn as much as I can about PitBulls and show others how amazing they are and can be! Like any dog, how you choose to raise it determines the type of behavior it will have when around others. I knew I had to get the short story Rescued: Based on a True Story by David D. Lambert, Narrated by Mike Norgaard when I saw it! I wasn't sure what to expect, but I love dogs so much, so I knew I would enjoy this audiobook.

The story itself is short...only about 20-25min long. Because it is so short, it is better you just read the plot description provided so that I do not give anything away. It is broken up into very short chapters instead of one continuous book, in case you want to stop and discuss anything with others as you listen (perhaps you have a child who is in Elementary or you are a teacher like me and want to use it for reading/listening comprehension in the classroom...I would even use this with my high school freshmen). It says that this is based on a true story. While I can't very well criticize real life, I wish the author would have changed a couple parts of the story to give it a more upbeat feeling or possibly lengthened the text so that we got to learn a little more about the life Angel (the dog) spent with the family. The story ends a little abruptly, without giving the feeling of really getting to know the characters. In any case, it is a story about how one family rescused a dog, after the dog rescued a member of the family, which is always heart-warming. ❤

The narration by Mike Norgaard is pretty good. This isn't the first time I have listened to his work, but this is the first time I have listened to him narrate a story like this one. I highly recommend all of his other books. The ones I have listened to have been non-fiction, informative-based books that range from self-help and personal improvement to best strategies in teaching. I think I like listening to him more in the other books, but that is just personal preference, most likely because that is what I am used to.

The recording of the audio: This is where I wasn't sure how to best rate this piece. At the beginning of the book over the course of about 2 minutes, 6-7 times something is wrong with the audio. The narrator is heard repeating parts/sentences of the story as if the text was changed or revised but not edited correctly. I was happy to see this is only at the beginning. Although it did not negatively affect my overall experience as a listener, it is repetitious and noticeable. Also, it is clear that Chapter 9 was possibly recorded separately than the rest because of the soft sounding "white noise" in the backgroud. Being that the chapters are very short, this was not a problem for me, but I didn't feel 5-stars was suitable due to these mistakes.

Overall, I feel 4-stars across the board is an appropriate rating for this short listen. I wish it was longer because I love stories about dogs! Perhaps in the future I will find another story about a recused dog and family from David D. Lambert! I definitely plan to continue listening to the work of Mike Norgaard...he is one of my favorite narrators!

Thank you so much for reading my review. I hope it helped! :-)

Great info at the end

The bulk of this little book is a story about a puppy growing up without a home told through that puppy’s eyes. The story blends a bit of fiction with known facts. Eventually we learn that the dog is a pit bull and eventually the dog gets a name, Angel, and later a nickname of Chaos.

I liked that the way the dog was treated changed as he grew into a recognizable breed. When he was a smallish furball that was roughly puppy-shaped, kids wanted to play with him and give him treats. Once he grew into his pit bull shape, people in general left him alone and some, including kids, would throw things at him.

Eventually chaotic Angel is rescued and that’s when less fiction and more fact enter the tale. This part of the story is quite a bit briefer and follows our four-footed hero to the end of his days. I think the author could have done a bit more with this section. Any dog that’s been living on the streets could have a variety of medical issues and that was just barely touched upon.

Once the story is over, the author included some interesting facts about pit bulls and also goes on to debunk some pit bull myths. I think this was probably the most significant part of the book. I do wish the author would have cited some follow up sources for those interested.

This book was of interest to me because I once adopted a pit bull who lived with us for 11 years to his final days. When I adopted him, I didn’t know what breed he was but his first vet check up set me straight on that! He was great with people and a very loving and loyal companion.

I received a free copy of this book from the narrator with the agreement to post an honest review.

The Narration: Mike Norgaard had a few repeated lines at the beginning of the story but quickly gained his stride. He maintained a nice, even voice all the way through that was easy to listen to. Norgaard let me know that this was one of his earliest recordings, so I expect he has only gained in ability since making this book.