*art by Christine Head*
There comes a time in every good blog's life when the posts go from lovely "look at my pizza" posts to full on, pissed off rants. Although Five Dog House is still a new, little, sweet blog, she's growing up fast tonight. Consider this my: First. Official. Rant.
Michael Vick. For those of you who don't know, don't remember or choose to forget, this piece of crap was arrested for dog fighting after his Bad Newz Kennels was raided. Vick kept the dogs tied up to car axels that were buried in the ground. He forced the female dogs to breed and fought dogs to death. He pulled teeth from the more passive dogs to use them as bait to train the more aggressive ones. And when it was all said and done, if they didn't fight well enough or if they were simply too old, he killed them. And not in the 'take your dog to the vet and have it put to sleep' way either. He would just strangle, beat or electrocute them.
Various agencies and rescue groups were called in to care for the dogs. Many of them were rehabbed and are adopted, some doing therapy work, but most just living as normal dogs. Some were put to sleep because the wounds suffered from abuse were too deep. Vick went to jail but got out 19 months into his 22 month sentence. Now, he's back playing in the NFL and making millions from endorsements. His fans even gave him a standing ovation when he returned to the football field after his stint in the big house.
Now, the poor guy, he really wants a dog. He doesn't know what to say when his daughters ask why they can't have a dog. He says he really wants to show the world how he loves his dogs and cares for them. He says he has a "passion" for animals. Really? Wow. The president of the HSUS agrees with Vick. He says "I have been around him a lot, and feel confident that he would do a good job as a pet owner" Like, HOW, prey tell? And besides, why would the HSUS support this guy in owning more animals?
Maybe because they profited about $200 million after convincing the public that they would care for his dogs after his arrest. In reality, they recommended that all of the dogs be put down rather than find suitable homes. But hey, the public doesn't need to know that. $200 million is $200 million, regardless of how you make it. After that, they partnered with Vick to help "end dogfighting". Everyone is lining everyone's pockets and Vick comes out looking like the good guy.
Either way, I don't feel the least bit sorry for Vick for not being able to own a dog. I do feel sorry for his kids. Not only do they not get to have a dog, but they have to grow up to realize that their dad is a violent dog killer who took pleasure in a blood 'sport' like dog fighting.
Ew. Now I feel angry thinking about him. The only way to fix that is to head on over to the Vick Dog Blog and check out some of the success stories of the dogs who not only survived Bad Newz Kennels, but went on to thrive!
Great post. I wholeheartedly agree with most everything you wrote here. It takes some balls to tell a major news outlet that you have a "passion" for dogs and would like to have one again. Get real.
ReplyDeleteBut, I feel the need to stick up a little bit for HSUS. Although I am very conflicted about their relationship with Vick, I think their intentions are good. Pacelle publicly stating that he would make a good dog owner makes my blood boil, but as for the $200 million, they have done truly remarkable things with a lot of this money. During my work with HSUS, I conducted an evaluation of the first two years of their End Dogfighting program that operats in Chicago, Atlanta, and now Philly. It is a remarkable program that uses on-the-street advocates to engage kids, rescue animals, and turn around perceptions about dog fighting and violence. I encourage you (and everyone) to check it out. Also, here is a link to a great article done by a Chicago lifestyle mag about the program: http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/features/83529/jeff-jenkins-and-the-pit-bull-training-team
Much love to you and the pups,
Aleksandra
follow our foster: loveandaleash.wordpress.com
Aleksandra- I will definitely check that out. For sure I do not know too much about the HSUS and it is nice to know that some of that money is going to good things. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I admire anyone who stands up and speaks out for those who can't. In my opinion, it would be a joke to ever let this man near a dog again...ever. It's about time the rose-coloured glasses came off, so more people could see what really goes on in some dogs' lives. We call ourselves human, but that has to include being humane or we've slipped up terribly somewhere along the way.
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