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  • Four Feet Tall and Rising by Shorty Rossi - Excerpt

    Written by

    Shorty Rossi
    4K views7 pages
    Luigi Francis Shorty Rossi, the tough-talking, fedora-wearing star of Animal Planet’s hit show Pit Boss, may stand only four feet tall but that hasn’t stopped him from living large, becoming a successful businessman and an outspoken advocate for pit bulls, the most misunderstood breed of dog in the world. A third generation dwarf, ex-gang member, and ex-con, Shorty knows what it’s like to be misunderstood and in this candid memoir, he shares his personal story for the first time. No one expected Shorty to live let alone succeed, and yet he has, overcoming every challenge, from an abusive home to the violent streets and gangs of South Central LA, to the notorious cell blocks of Folsom Prison where he was imprisoned for attempted murder. After 10 years, 10 months, and 10 days behind bars, Shorty gained his freedom and the chance to put his entrepreneurial and negotiation skills to the test. He cut the ribbon on his own business, Shortywood, with three goals: to turn his life around, act as a talent agent for little people and establish and fund charities that advocate for, rescue and place abandoned or abused pit bulls into safe homes. In the process, he became a reality-TV star. Now, with Hercules, his rescued pit bull and newly trained service dog by his side, Shorty continues to save pits from the basements and backyards of breeders and abusers while taking on new and even bigger challenges. And nothing is gonna stand in his way. Shorty Rossi is four feet tall—and rising. To read more about Four Feet Tall and Rising or Shorty Rossi please visit Crown Publishing Group at www.crownpublishing.com.

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    Luigi Francis Shorty Rossi, the tough-talking, fedora-wearing star of Animal Planet’s hit show Pit Boss, may stand only four feet tall but that hasn’t stopped him from living large, becoming a successful businessman and an outspoken advocate for pit bulls, the most misunderstood breed of dog in the world. A third generation dwarf, ex-gang member, and ex-con, Shorty knows what it’s like to be misunderstood and in this candid memoir, he shares his personal story for the first time. No one expected Shorty to live let alone succeed, and yet he has, overcoming every challenge, from an abusive home to the violent streets and gangs of South Central LA, to the notorious cell blocks of Folsom Prison where he was imprisoned for attempted murder. After 10 years, 10 months, and 10 days behind bars, Shorty gained his freedom and the chance to put his entrepreneurial and negotiation skills to the test. He cut the ribbon on his own business, Shortywood, with three goals: to turn his life around, act as a talent agent for little people and establish and fund charities that advocate for, rescue and place abandoned or abused pit bulls into safe homes. In the process, he became a reality-TV star. Now, with Hercules, his rescued pit bull and newly trained service dog by his side, Shorty continues to save pits from the basements and backyards of breeders and abusers while taking on new and even bigger challenges. And nothing is gonna stand in his way. Shorty Rossi is four feet tall—and rising. To read more about Four Feet Tall and Rising or Shorty Rossi please visit Crown Publishing Group at www.crownpublishing.com.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    4K views7 pages

    Four Feet Tall and Rising by Shorty Rossi - Excerpt

    Written by

    Shorty Rossi
    Luigi Francis Shorty Rossi, the tough-talking, fedora-wearing star of Animal Planet’s hit show Pit Boss, may stand only four feet tall but that hasn’t stopped him from living large, becoming a successful businessman and an outspoken advocate for pit bulls, the most misunderstood breed of dog in the world. A third generation dwarf, ex-gang member, and ex-con, Shorty knows what it’s like to be misunderstood and in this candid memoir, he shares his personal story for the first time. No one expected Shorty to live let alone succeed, and yet he has, overcoming every challenge, from an abusive home to the violent streets and gangs of South Central LA, to the notorious cell blocks of Folsom Prison where he was imprisoned for attempted murder. After 10 years, 10 months, and 10 days behind bars, Shorty gained his freedom and the chance to put his entrepreneurial and negotiation skills to the test. He cut the ribbon on his own business, Shortywood, with three goals: to turn his life around, act as a talent agent for little people and establish and fund charities that advocate for, rescue and place abandoned or abused pit bulls into safe homes. In the process, he became a reality-TV star. Now, with Hercules, his rescued pit bull and newly trained service dog by his side, Shorty continues to save pits from the basements and backyards of breeders and abusers while taking on new and even bigger challenges. And nothing is gonna stand in his way. Shorty Rossi is four feet tall—and rising. To read more about Four Feet Tall and Rising or Shorty Rossi please visit Crown Publishing Group at www.crownpublishing.com.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 7

    Copyright © 2012 by Shorty Rossi

    All rights reserved.

    Published in the United States by Crown Archetype,


    an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of
    Random House, Inc., New York.
    www.crownpublishing.com

    Crown Archetype with colophon is a trademark of


    Random House, Inc.

    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data


    [CIP data]

    ISBN: 978-0-307-98588-0
    eISBN: 978-0-307-98589-7

    Printed in the United States of America

    Book design by
    Illustrations by
    Jacket design by
    Jacket photography

    10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

    First Edition

    Ross_9780307985880_1p_all_r1.indd iv 9/16/11 11:59 AM


    Prologue

    ’ve got a big mouth.

    I came out of the womb wailing and I’ve pretty much


    been yelling ever since. Over the years, I’ve learned some
    choice words, and I use them with abandon. Swearing adds
    some flavor to the yelling. Swearing is like putting whipped
    cream with a cherry on top of all those regular words. You get
    more for your money. Swearing is an art.
    So I swear and I yell. A lot. I’ve got opinions and I make
    them known.
    And yeah, I’m not an idiot. I know my big mouth isn’t the
    first thing people notice about me. I’m short. Shorter than
    most but taller than some, and in a world where short ain’t
    shit, you gotta do something to make sure you don’t get swept
    underfoot. Hence my big mouth. It’s gotten me into trouble
    and it’s saved my ass, and while it may not be the first thing
    you notice about me, I guarantee it’ll be the thing you most
    remember.

    Ross_9780307985880_1p_all_r1.indd 1 9/16/11 11:59 AM


    Sh or t y R os s i

    It’s this mouth that leads people to believe I’ve got a


    Napoleon complex. Like I’m overcompensating for my per-
    ceived handicap. Napoleon complex, my ass. That bastard was
    five-six—what’d he have to complain about?
    Plus, I got good reasons to yell.
    I yell ’cause somewhere in a Los Angeles basement, there’s
    a pit bull with duct tape wrapped around her muzzle, being
    trained to kill while money changes hands. I yell ’cause on
    some news program in Denver, there’s a politician demoniz-
    ing pit bulls to further his own career. I yell ’cause some punk
    in Tampa’s got his fifth box of pit puppies and I know they’ll
    end up in the last cage of an animal shelter before they’re two.
    I yell ’cause humans can be the most brutal and heartless ani-
    mals on the planet. I yell ’cause a pit bull can’t and somebody
    needs to.
    I yell ’cause pits are my family.
    We are the same breed. We are short, muscular and
    stocky, misunderstood, and much maligned. We’ve got hard
    heads, short hair, and our “bad” reputations precede us every
    time. We are judged by the actions of a few. We are treated
    like the enemy before we even make your acquaintance. We
    are feared. We are banned. We are excommunicated.
    Pit bulls and ex- cons, we got a lot in common.
    Except, I don’t wear my heart on my sleeve, and I’ve got no
    patience for stupidity. I can’t sleep all day and I much prefer
    a good cigar and red wine to a bowl of mashed beef. I might
    stand at crotch level but I’m not gonna sniff you. And trust

    Ross_9780307985880_1p_all_r1.indd 2 9/16/11 11:59 AM


    F O U R F E E T TA L L & R I S I N G

    me, if you raise your hand to me, I won’t be the one ducking
    and cowering.
    On second thought, I guess, in most ways I’m not like
    a pit at all.
    They’re much, much nicer than me.

    Ross_9780307985880_1p_all_r1.indd 3 9/16/11 11:59 AM

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