Publisher Description

Filled with inspiring stories and photographs, this heartfelt tribute to the pit bull celebrates one of America's most popular yet misunderstood dogs.

Perhaps more than any other breed, the pit bull has been dogged by negative stereotypes. In truth, pit bulls are innately wonderful family pets, as capable of love and good deeds as any other type of dog. Setting the record straight, Ken Foster sings the praises of pit bulls in I'm a Good Dog, a gorgeously illustrated, tenderly written tribute to this most misunderstood of canines.

Founder of the Sula Foundation, which promotes responsible pit bull ownership in New Orleans, and the author of two acclaimed books about abandoned dogs, Foster has made it his mission to bring overlooked canines into the limelight. I'm a Good Dog traces the fascinating history of this particularly maligned breed. A century ago, the pit bull was considered a family dog, featured in family photos and trusted as loving companions for children. More recently, pit bulls have been portrayed by the media as stereotypes of everything they are not. Foster shatters that reputation through moving profiles of pit bulls that serve as therapy dogs, athletic heroes, search-and-rescue dogs, and educators, not to mention as loving pets. Foster also profiles many pit bull lovers, from Helen Keller and Dr. Seuss to actor Todd Cerveris, who took his pit bull on tour with him for the musical Spring Awakening.

Proving that there's much to love and nothing to fear, I'm a Good Dog restores the pit bull to its rightful place as friend, family member, athlete and entertainer.

Author Biography

A writer and teacher, Ken Foster is the author of the bestseller The Dogs Who Found Me and its sequel, Dogs I Have Met. His collection of short stories, The Kind I'm Likely to Get, was a New York Times Notable Book.  His work has been featured in Salon, Time Out New York, The New York Times Book Review, and other publications. He lives in Newburgh, NY with his dogs Brando, Zephyr, Douglas, and Bananas.

Review

"A beautiful book about some of the most beautiful and big-hearted dogs in the world—dogs who've been misunderstood and discriminated against for far too long. Ken Foster and his rescue work are a gift to animals and people alike. Everyone should read I'm a Good Dog to learn the truth about pit bulls, and celebrate them."
—Rebecca Skloot, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

"Pit bulls have a true champion in Ken Foster, whose devotion to these unjustly maligned dogs has already saved many of them.  I admire his knowledgeable campaign on behalf of these dogs, and as someone whose life has been improved by knowing pit bulls, I recommend this insightful, loving and compelling book about the magnificent dogs whose loyalty and forgiving natures are an inspiration."
—Amy Hempel, author of The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel

"Ken Foster's I'm a Good Dog is the definitive book on the dog that's been so hard to define, the misunderstood pit bull. Visually stunning images are surrounded by Ken's magical dog stories; this book is a gift, and one I'll be giving many times."
—Julie Klam, author of You Had Me at Woof

Review Quote

"Pit bulls have a true champion in Ken Foster, whose devotion to these unjustly maligned dogs has already saved many of them.

Excerpt from Book

In memory of Sula, and my parents. For close to 10 million Americans, it''s a blocky-headed pit bull type that awaits them at home. The mythology of pit bulls rarely matches the real thing. just dogs: an introduction BY THE TIME I LEARNED WHAT A PIT BULL REALLY was, it was too late; I was already in love. Of course I''d heard the stories, but I had never put these almost mythological urban tales together with the dogs in my neighborhood. I was living in Manhattan, just blocks away from a dog park, and dog watching was a spectator sport among those of us who were still dogless. There were dogs of every shape and size, but my eye kept going to the short, stocky, exuberant dogs that seemed like cartoons. You could tell by the gleam in their eye they felt very lucky to be here, in the city, walking with the person they kept on the other end of a leash. Their heads were blocky and human. Their short coats made it seem like they were wearing costumes made of felt. It wasn''t hard to imagine there might be a little person inside. And they were everywhere that there were people: in caf

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