Dogfella

How did a former mob enforcer become a compassionate advocate for animals in need of loving homes? How did his hardened heart open up to the plight of abused and abandoned pets?

James "Head" Guiliani was an unlikely candidate to become a passionate animal rescuer. Raised in a religious family in a blue-collar neighborhood, James became involved in street gangs at a young age and by his mid-twenties worked as a 6'2" 250-pound enforcer for the Gambino crime family during the reign of infamous mob boss John Gotti. But after years of worsening alcohol and drug use and a stretch in the Riverhead Correctional Facility, James finally hit bottom.

It was then he met Lena Perrelli, who helped turn his life around, providing the love and support he'd rejected in the past. And when the couple rescued an abandoned and abused Shih Tzu, the second phase of James's salvation began. Lovingly named Bruno, the small dog opened the former enforcer's hardened heart, and James discovered a new purpose in life as a devoted animal rescuer.

Dogfella tells how this onetime alter boy from Queens became a gang member, a mob confidante, and an addict and convicted felon—and how he found redemption by dedicating his life to animals. Alongside his personal journey, James shares stories from his missions with Keno's Animal Rescue Shelter in Brooklyn: saving pit bulls from a dog fighting ring, driving through six-foot snowdrifts to reach 200 cats stranded in a blizzard, taking in homeless ducks from Staten Island, and many more.