How an Abused Rescue Dog Changed the Life of a Local Author With Anger Issues

When Gimme Shelter author Louis Spirito and his wife went to the Agoura Hills Animal Shelter in 2009 to adopt a rescue dog, the last breed they expected to take home was a pit bull. 

"Our old cat had just died and I wanted Irish setter like the one I had when I was a struggling actor working in the nightclub business living in New York City," he said. 

But meeting Tanner changed their sentiments. 

" ... we saw Tanner lying peacefully in his crate while all of the other dogs were going nuts, barking and howling," said the Malibu resident. "Something about this dog called out to me and I knew he was the one."

A timid creature

Spirito soon discovered that Tanner must have previously been abused.

"When we first got Tanner, he was extremely skittish," Spirito said. "If I scuffed my shoe or dropped a newspaper, he went flat and cringed as if he was expecting a beating. When he ate he would glance around fearfully after every bite. He vomited whenever he rode in the car." 

Though well-mannered, Tanner had a burn mark on his neck and scars on his stomach and muzzle, Spirito said.

"We think he might have been used as a bait dog," he said.
An angry young writer

Spirito also had demons from his past with which he needed to cope, particularly anger management.

"Growing up in a volatile and violent Italian family in New Jersey, anger seemed like part of my DNA," he said of his youth. " Spirito said. " ... Dealing with anger is difficult because, very often, people don't admit they have the problem. Underneath anger is fear; you're afraid of something, that's why you're angry."  

Ironically, Spirito discovered a spiritual connection between himself and his dog.

"In many ways Tanner and I were the same," he said.     

Anger becomes therapy

Spirito admits that both his repressed and expressed rage overwhelmed Tanner, and the owner became "too scary to live with" for the dog.

"Tanner was like an anger Geiger Counter. Even when I stopped cursing and storming and tried to 'act' peacefully, he could sense the rage inside me and it sent him into a panic," he said.

Sending Tanner back to the shelter was not an option, so Spirito began to take control of his rage through meditation and other self-help methods.

"Thanks to Tanner, I learned to better understand myself and my anger, where it came from, what triggered it, and how to avoid those triggers," Spirito said. "Eventually, I managed to get myself under control. I knew I'd turn the corner, when we had a very bad Santa Anna wind and Tanner hopped into my bed for me to comfort him." 

Having chronicled his experiences with Tanner from day one, Spirito decided to turn the story into a book, which, in turn, gives back to other animals in need. The Gimme Shelter Campaign donates 10 percent of the book's profits to rescue organizations.

"Before we adopted him, Tanner was an abused, timid, stray shelter dog, that slept on the street and scrounged for food. Now he's completely different dog. He's happy, healthy with a loving home, plenty of toys and cushy beds," Spirito said. " ... I was always angry and often out of control. Now, thanks to Tanner, I'm much happier and more relaxed. He was the tipping point but I did the work."

Spirito and Tanner will be on-hand to sign copies of Gimme Shelter at the Thousand Oaks Barnes & Noble on Saturday, August 3, at 11 a.m. For more information, call 805-446-2820.