The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick's Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In the course of researching this book, I spoke with several people on the condition of anonymity, which makes it impossible for me to single them out for thanks. The domino effect of their request also makes it hard for me to acknowledge several other willing participants, since the process of elimination might then expose the first group. In any case, I hope the people who took the time to share their thoughts and experiences, whether they see their name listed below or not, know how grateful I am for the contributions.

Among those I can publicly recognize, the list has to start with Jim Knorr and Donna Reynolds, both of whom I pestered with a near-constant stream of queries and requests for the better part of a year. Their knowledge and willingness to share was exceeded only by their patience. Others who gave so much of themselves include, in particular, Catalina Stirling, Cris Cohen, Tim Racer, Nicole Rattay, and Marthina McClay. Beyond that I was aided by a wide-ranging group of tolerant individuals, including (in alphabetical order) Ann Allums, Michelle Besmehn, Brandon Bond, Linda Chwistek, Bernice Clifford, Sharon Corbett, Karen Delise, Lettie de Little, Paul DeSantis, Cindi Hauser, Carissa Hendrick, Maureen Henry, the Hernandez Family, Eugene Hill, Rebecca Huss, Joe Jackson, Mary Jarvis, Diane Jessup, Randy Lockwood, Frank McMillan, Melinda Merck, Karen Reese, Sara Varsa, Mike Wilson, Roo Yori, and Steve Zawistowski. The list of key facilitators includes Beth Brookhouser, Stacey Coleman, Anita Kelso Edson, John Polis, and Laura Taylor.

At Sports Illustrated I’d like to thank Terry McDonell and Jim Herre for allowing me to take on the project, and Chris Stone, who was instrumental in helping the original article make it into the magazine. Chris Hunt edited that piece and Rebecca Sun fact-checked it. My good friends Maura Fritz and Brad Dunn read early drafts of the book and gave me invaluable feedback, and Bill Syken helped make sure I didn’t get anything wrong. As always, my fond appreciation goes to my agent, Matthew Carnicelli, and his assistant, Adrienne Lombardo, at Trident, and I’d also like to thank everyone at Gotham who worked on the project, particularly Patrick Mulligan, who first approached me about a book, and Jessica Sindler, who nursed the manuscript along with a welcome equanimity and incisive commentary.

Grace and Alex deserve special mention for enduring my alternating bouts of crankiness and distraction while grinding against deadline, as does my father, George, for introducing me to dogs and helping me to develop a true appreciation for them. At the top of the list, in perpetuity, is Karin Henderson, for her editorial gifts and unending encouragement and for being a true partner in all things.

Last, I would like to thank the dogs, not just the Vick pack, but all of them, simply for being dogs, which is to say, tolerant and perseverant; willing to connect with a world that does not always return their affection; and for proving, time and again, that life, while messy, difficult, and imperfect, has the capacity to exceed our expectations and feed our undying hope.