Dog Lost by Ingrid Lee


Posted on Mar 30, 2009
By Tanya Turgeon



REVIEW by Tanya Turgeon

Chicken House, 2008
197 pages
$16.99
    
    A young boy named Mackenzie receives the best gift in his life when his father dumps a pit bull puppy on his bed. Cash quickly becomes Mackenzie's best friend in a life submersed in the struggles of a broken home in a low income neighborhood. Just as quickly as Cash appeared she disappears when Mackenzie's abusive father dumps her in the littered lot of an abandoned distillery. While Mackenzie searches for his lost dog and Cash tries to survive, a handful of characters come forth representing everything true and false in the world of pit bulls.
       
    Pittie lovers among us will recognize the all too familiar hardships experienced by Mackenzie and Cash. Unfair political policies that punish the dog instead of abusive owners, the atrocities of dog fighting, disproportionately high shelter populations, and prejudices of ignorant people: "that dog of yours should have a muzzle...a dog like that has no business in a public park." Author Ingrid Lee leaves no stone unturned, confronting each unfortunate reality by simply presenting it like it is.

    Alternatively those unfamiliar with the breed (who often hold a negative view born of biased and incorrect generalizations) will be exposed to the wonderful traits residing behind the sweet eyes of a pit bull. References are made to the breed's success on TV (see Petey of "lil Rascals") and as war heroes (see World War I). "Pit bulls make wonderful pets...all those dogs want to do is please their masters." Cash spends a good part of the story saving lives. Skeptical readers ready to write off Dog Lost as the overly optimistic fantasy of a pit bull  fanatic need simply glance at the back inside cover which reveals it is based on a true story.

    The best part is that Dog Lost is aimed at younger readers. Yep, the publisher Chicken House is actually an imprint of renown Scholastic, Inc., parent of Dora the Explorer, Harry Potter and other popular titles. With this in mind, it's a bit surprising the thoroughness with which Lee delves into the more disturbing circumstances faced by Mackenzie and Cash. Surprising, but welcome, since it exposes adolescents to the true nature of the devoted pit bull and why they deserve to be treated with as much love and respect as any other dog breed. In the end changing the fate of pit bulls lies in educating the young. Ingrid Lee provides a great place to begin.

 
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