A voice in the hills: a man making a difference

Leonard Rizzo sees the best and worst we offer to the most vulnerable members of society—the animals we keep as pets. The animals of Polk County, North Carolina, come to him lost and abandoned, sick and abused. Rizzo welcomes them all, working tirelessly to rehabilitate them, treat their wounds, and find them the homes they deserve. These are their stories—theirs, and those of the man they call Uncle Lennie.

With a quick wit and ever open heart for his “kids,” Rizzo introduces readers to characters like Banjo, the eight-year-old springer spaniel who arrived at the local humane society as a matted, dirty mess of malnutrition and hookworms, only to blossom into a beautiful, friendly dog.

You’ll met Viper, the much-loved dog of a dying Afghanistan veteran, and Mercedes, the cat who survived a collision with the car she’s named after.

Not all of Rizzo’s stories end happily. As he’s known to admit, he can’t save them all. But that sad fact never stops him from trying, to the eternal gratitude of the cats and dogs who live out their lives in loving homes, all thanks to the extra effort and deeply caring heart of their Uncle Lennie.

Leonard Rizzo is married and lives in Polk County, North Carolina. Originally from New York, he ran a pet-sitting business in Illinois for fifteen years. He worked for the Polk County Humane Society and now helps animals through a 501.c3 nonprofit organization.

Rizzo writes a weekly column for the local newspaper focusing on his efforts to help animals. He is the recipient of the first-ever Duke Energy citizenship award and won an award for best newspaper article fiction writer in North Carolina.