Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love »

Larry Levin and his family live in a suburb of Philadelphia, PA. He is an attorney in solo practice. He and his wife, Jennifer, have been married for twenty-six years. Their sons, Noah and Dan, are eighteen. Oogy is eight.

In the bestselling tradition of Rescuing Sprite comes the story of a puppy brought back from the brink of death, and the family he adopted.

In 2002, Larry Levin and his twin sons, Dan and Noah, took their terminally ill cat to the Ardmore Animal Hospital outside Philadelphia to have the beloved pet put to sleep. What would begin as a terrible day suddenly got brighter as the ugliest dog they had ever seen—one who was missing an ear and had half his face covered in scar tissue—ran up to them and captured their hearts. The dog had been used as bait for fighting dogs when he was just a few months old. He had been thrown in a cage and left to die until the police rescued him and the staff at Ardmore Animal Hospital saved his life. The Levins, whose sons are themselves adopted, were unable to resist Oogy's charms, and decided to take him home.

Heartwarming and redemptive, OOGY is the story of the people who were determined to rescue this dog against all odds, and of the family who took him home, named him "Oogy" (an affectionate derivative of ugly), and made him one of their own.

Publishers Weekly

Attorney Levin shares the by turns horrifying and heartwarming story of Oogy, his gentle pit bull who went from brutalized bait for fighting dogs to beloved family member and therapy dog. The four-month-old pup was discovered near death: maimed, missing an ear and half his face, with numerous other life-threatening injuries. A kindly animal hospital worker marveled at his sweetness despite his intense suffering and persuaded the shelter not to euthanize him. Oogy finds a home with the author, his wife, and their twin sons--both adopted--and the puppy's hijinks (eating homework, opening and raiding the fridge and pantry) ensue. As remarkable in spirit as he is distinctive in appearance, the extraordinary Oogy receives a hero's biography from adoring Levin, who both recognizes himself in and feels rescued from the grip of his own childhood traumas by his indomitable companion's capacity to survive. (Nov.)