RETHINKING RESCUE

The fascinating story of the woman working to address the “problem pet population” in Los Angeles.

In downtown L.A., Lori Weise is known as the Dog Lady, but her work is unlike the standard stories of Humane Society and pet adoption features. Mithers introduces Weise as a child, with her own beloved pet and personal suffering, before following her decades of work in Skid Row, South L.A., and Watts. Weise’s mission, which she calls the Downtown Dog Rescue, is to help poor and unhoused individuals keep and properly care for their pets, even as they battle demons like addiction, PTSD, and omnipresent violence. The author composes her vivid portrait from a series of stories about the people and animals Weise has helped, each indicative of how deeply a person’s well-being is connected to the well-being of their pets. Weise’s work has dovetailed with initiatives like the rise of no-kill shelters, the demonization of pit bulls, and the promotion of “adopt don’t shop” by celebrities. Mithers dutifully outlines these movements and their problems, providing eye-opening financial details, revelations of discriminatory adoption policies, and a jaw-dropping account of pet hoarders. As Weise has discovered, the biggest problem with the usual rescue paradigm, laced with judgment, “was neither a pet problem nor a people problem. It was a poverty problem.” The Dog Lady’s revolutionary power stems from leaning into the intersection of comprehensive social justice work and pet rescue efforts, and the author draws considerable narrative force from following her subject into that intersection. The text shows both Mithers and Weise confronting systemic issues like racism, housing costs, and the failure of social safety nets, simultaneously stirring outrage, stimulating compassion, and suggesting a better understanding of how to help people living in poverty care for the pets they love.

An engrossing, inspiring read for lovers of dogs and humans alike.