The Fate of Michael Vick's Dogs

In case anyone was wondering about the dogs involved, there's good news!
A group called Bad Rap has rehabilitated most of the dogs and placed them with families.
www.dogtime.com has the exclusive story and you can view updates on their site.
Also CNN did a story on the dogs:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/01/25/intv.racer.badrap.dogs.cnn?iref=videosearch

Here are some videos of a couple of the dogs and their stories:
Hector: http://youtube.com/watch?v=6DSN6QYBSAE
Jonny Justice: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Xl8In6bFhmk

I think it's really great what they've done for these dogs, and it goes to show- pit bulls, even ones that have been abused can still make great companions, and it truly is the situations they are put in that have given them such a bad reputation.

ASPCA Press Release - August 28, 2007
ASPCA Elaborates on Pit Bull Evaluations—Announces Bad Rap as Partner
Public Interest in Fate of Seized Dogs Overwhelming
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=press_082807_4

US Department of Justice Press Release August 27, 2007
Statement of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Regarding the Civil Forfeiture Action Involving Approximately 50 Pit Bull Dogs
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae/Pressreleases/08-AugustPDFArchive/07/20070827us_attorney_statement_civilforfeit.pdf

I wish you the best of luck that you are able to get these dogs and give them a chance at life. As an owner of 3 pitbulls and one of them coming from a bad situation (he is now an exceptional family member), I know that at least some of these unfortunate dogs can have a good life. God Bless You Best Friends for all the work that you do. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. christinastott@comcast.net

Hi - in light of the Michael Vick events, I am especially pleased to share this with others! Thanks for reading it and passing it on if it interests you. If it doesn't, I apologize for sending it. ~ Nancy Cronk at www.Animal Chaplains.com.

Press Release August 24, 2007

"Animal Chaplains To Honor and Bless All Creatures on World Animal Day"

~ from the Interfaith Association of Animal Clergy

In what will look like a scene from the popular family movie, "Evan Almighty", scores of Animal Chaplains around the world will bless hundreds, perhaps thousands of animals in many different settings on October 4th 2007. At a pet cemetery on the east coast, to a city park in the desert, to a sandy beach on the west coast, they will walk in on a leash, fly in on a harness, and slither in their cages. Barking, mewing, bleating, mooing, whinnying and purring will join human voices in hymns of praise and worship.

That day is World Animal Day, a day dedicated to honoring, blessing, and protecting animals all over the world. World Animal Day was founded at an ecologist's convention in Florence, Italy in 1931 as a way of highlighting the plight of endangered species. October 4th was chosen as World Animal Day because it is also the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, a Catholic Church holiday which is often celebrated with an annual "blessing of the pets". Since then, it has grown to encompass all kinds of animal life and has been widely celebrated around the world. Churches and synagogues in many faiths traditions have adopted "Pet Blessing Day" or "World Animal Day" in increasing numbers every year.

The Interfaith Association of Animal Chaplains prepares for World Animal Day by referring its members and visitors to the official World Animal Day website. The site provides ideas and resources to individuals, families, community groups and congregations everywhere. People can post their pledge for volunteering at a World Animal Day event. In addition to blessing pets, volunteers will work at animal shelters, zoos, rescues, and other nonprofit organizations. Dogs will be walked, cats will be brushed, horses will be groomed, and fish will benefit from freshly cleaned tanks. Donations will be given to animal welfare agencies, and pets will be adopted. School children will collect pet food to be donated to charities, and bake sales and car washes will be held as fundraising events. Veterinary clinics will hold free spay and neuter days, or may offer to vaccinate pets at no charge. All over the world, on the very same day, the well-being of animals will be on the minds of millions of people.

Interfaith Chaplain Nancy Cronk feels a day honoring animals is very important at a time when the headlines speak of animal cruelty such as athlete Michael Vick's alleged ties to illegal dog fighting. Animal Chaplains would like everyone to know that every major faith endorses the responsible stewardship of the earth and all of its creatures. "Deliberate harming of animals is in direct opposition to teachings in all of the major world faiths. Caring for animals is our global spiritual responsibility. If we can teach this ethic to all of our children, animal abuse and suffering will someday become a distant memory".

To find out how to get involved on World Animal Day, go to www.WorldAnimalDay.org.uk. To find out more about Animal Chaplains, go to www.AnimalChaplains.com.

(This article may be reprinted.)


Chaplain Nancy J. Cronk
Founder, Chair and Chaplain
Interfaith Association of Animal Chaplains
www.AnimalChaplains.com
Email: AnimalClergy@aol.com

I hope Best Friends will swallow their well-earned pride, if necessary, in order to have at least one representative involved in the evaluations of these dogs. If nothing else, it would be nice to have a watchdog in the process.

Tippydog, glad you were able to speak to the judge. I got nowhere with the assistant prosecutors.

If Best Friends could commit to offering these dogs sanctuary while a long-term evaluation (as opposed to a single temperment eval for each dog), maybe the judge would order it....

Forgive me please for offering this next suggestion. Maybe we could contact Mr. Vick's attorney and offer them the first step in Vick's long road to rehab. See if he will endorse and finance long term care for the dogs. It would probably be his first opportunity for positive press and may gain him a bit of leniency with the court.

bogiedew-
While I totally agree with you; this is much better than nothing. With the normal stance that the HSUS takes on dogs that have been fought which the majority of shelters in the nation adheres to as a guideline(ie-they all must die, even pups as young as 8 weeks not fought, but bred OF fighters)I'm thrilled that these dogs are even given ANY chance at all-thanks to this Judge. It would seem the ASPCA has a slightly better stance-they at least "consider" adopting out puppies/adults never fought if I understand correctly.
Here in Florida a couple yrs ago, there was a big bust and every single dog, including the baby pups who never knew any aggression at all were PTD due to the HSUS "policy"-simply because they were born OF fighting dogs. :(

I have faith that if BFAS only sends one person; it will be their top notch evaluator and many of these dogs will make it out alive. I can only pray this may be the beginning of a new trend for dogs who have been the victims of such horrible crimes.

I just read on the main page that ASPCA will take over and they asked BF to send one person..I dont think I agree..I would rather BF take over and have one person represent the ASPCA.

To not even give these dogs a shot at living a life is almost as horrific, to me, as the whole dog fighting mentality. How dare people assume every one is beyond helping? At least, give them a chance. At least, TRY to rehabilitate these tortured lives-- at least TRY to bring some joy into their existence. If even one responds, why--a precious life has been saved. Good for you, Best Friends for keeping hope for these animals alive. And good for the Judge for seeing them as more than collected evidence--no longer needed, and therefore, expendable.

Best Friends-I love you.

i hope hope hope that some of these dogs will be granted the opportunity to have a second chance. if none of these dogs were actually fought or trained, then there is such a good chance that they would make suitable pets.
it is sickening to hear that euthanasia is the immediate response in a situation like this.

i am hoping that something good can come out of this horrible mess. and if only more support could be lent to fighting this practice and supporting those who take on the fight, then something good will come. but a key component of this is outreach to kids, teaching them compassion for living beings. there is something horribly wrong if one out six kids in chicago has been to a dog fight. horribly wrong. but it has to be tackled community by community. maybe organizations can sponsor programs for kids whereby they participate in a contest to have the "best behaved" pitbull (i envision this in communities where pit bull ownership is high and dog fighting is a big problem). community outreach can help get the message out to the kids, volunteer trainers can work with them and their dogs, then they can have a competition for the "top dog". but all participants would get a "prize"! kids love competition - and to have your dog honored as top dog would be something. i think it would be something great to try to implement.

Heavy sigh of RELIEF!!!! The plight of these dogs has been weighing so heavy on my heart, 'saved' only to be killed ... Denver did that with Mike Padilla's 36 pit bulls, 11 of which were babies!!!! It was horribly ugly, especially when there were rescues ready & willing to take the dogs!!!! I pray that BF is successful in changing what has been said to be the 'accepted' outcome of dogs in busts!!!! It doesn't have to be that way!!!!! RUN ON!!!

tippydog90, that's a good idea! Some states have dog fighting task forces that are work both within the community educating people the police officers providing training and information they need to prosecute the crimes. We don't have one in Georgia, but I'd really like it if we did. Sadly, I don't have the knowledge or the leadership/management skills to start one myself. But it would be really neat to volunteer with a program like that. Tio Hardiman is awesome*. I wish I had that kind of, I don't know, skill, I guess, to do something that really makes a difference where I live.

*This is from his blog (http://network.bestfriends.org/Blogs/PostDetail.aspx?bp=5003)

"Hardiman said he is part of a group of 25 to 30 volunteers who walk the streets at least once a month searching for dog battles."

That's insanely brave! I would never have the guts to do that, especially not in Atlanta!

Tio Hardiman posted in this thread earlier. I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Hardiman and am pleased that someone with his background and level of personal knowledge is working so closely with Best Friends.

Tio - I know you will, but please do what you can to help these dogs. They could become the ambassadors of the breed since all of America has been reading about them for weeks.

kendra,
i think that money should also have to be used to fund intensive anti dog fighting efforts (actual on the ground work, not just campaigns). like working with children in some areas that are getting involved in this atrocious practice at such a young age. fund those programs like tio hardiman is working on and expand it to other communities. teach these children in their schools and communities that this is a horrific practice that has no place in our society. then additional money should be used to fund rescues/shelters that place pit bulls. but i think you have to reach these kids when they are young, somehow someway and that an intense effort needs to be made to do just that.

I think he should have to donate $1 million to animal rescue for each dog that ends up dying or getting put down because of this. Even if he "didn't participate" in the fighting or the training, they're still his property, and their well-being is still his responsibility. That way, even if those dogs couldn't be saved, that money could be used to save tons of other animals. And when I say animal rescue, I don't mean PETA. I mean someone more local to where he lives, like a Virginia-based rescue or a Georgia-based rescue. Goodness knows they could use that kind of money. There's a no-kill close to where I live that takes in pit bulls that can't be adopted from the local animal control facilities. They could certainly use some donations...

thanks for the info southerndogmom. i'd love to know how many of these are pups/young dogs that weren't involved in fighting. regardless, they all deserve a chance at love and peace in their lives. i also think more than one organization should be involved in the evaluation of these dogs and that one of those organizations should definitely be BF and/or their representative. given the stance of some of the other organizations, I think this is only fair for the dogs.

I am hoping and praying that these dogs can/will be saved. I believe as part of M. Vick sentence he should have to pay for there care. I am extremely saddened by the fact that these poor dogs have never know an ounce of kindness and if there are killed it will break my heart. Poor dogs!!

I have numbers on the dogs but no idea about age.

I e-mailed Win Grant yesterday and left him a voicemail about 5 minutes ago. He replied to my e-mail with the following:

"Got your voice mail. I’ve talked to Best Friends and they have been in contact with USDA too. All options will be considered. Thanks for your comments."

This tells me that the ASPCA isn't the only game in town and gives me hope that perhaps some of the dogs can still make it to Kanab....

southerndogmom
they didn't tell me that when i called. he patiently listened and said he would pass on my comments. i also wrote DOJ this morning, but didn't have the email address for the US attorney directly. I will send him an email as well. I sure hope that all efforts are made to save these dogs. I realize that some of these dogs may be in very bad shape, psychologically and physically, but I believe that all efforts should be made to evaluate each dog and place those that can be placed with highly qualified organizations and trainers. I know these will never be dogs that can be adopted out - but I do believe they deserve to know love and caring in an appropriate environment. I also wonder how many of them are pups or dogs that never saw the fighting ring? I have never seen any information on that.

I called Judge Hudson's office to comment on the fate of the dogs and to ensure the court knew about the BF press release. I was told they're only taking public comments about Vick at this time.

I was told that the civil case regarding the disposition of the dogs is being handled by the U.S. attorney's office and comments should be directed there. I know the dogs are in the "possession" of the Department of Agriculture.

The U.S. attorney handling the civil case about the dogs is C. Wingate Grant.

wingate.grant@usdoj.gov
(804) 819-5400

No offense intended, tippydog90. Just wanted to share what happened when I called.

The Plea Agreement says this under a paragraph entitled, "Restitution":

"...defendant agrees to make restitutuion for the full amount of the costs associated with the dispositoin of all dogs which are currently the subject of [the civil law suit]. Such costs may include, but are not limited to, all costs associated with the care of the dogs involved in that case, including, if necessary, the long-term care and/or the humane euthanasia of some or all of those animals as may be directed by the court in that case."

The judge in the civil case is the same: Henry Hudson.

I just called the judge in this case and provided my thoughts. I would encourage others to do the same if you haven't already. I suggested that all efforts should be made to place as many of these animals as possible with appropriate organizations that are committed to their welfare, and that Michael Vick and co-defendents should be financially responsible for ensuring a life time of care for these animals, and they should be required to fund outreach efforts regarding the atrocities of dog-fighting (as part of their sentencing). I told the judge's office that these dogs had already suffered enough and they should be afforded a chance at knowing love and having a life, all in the appropriate environment. The contact info for the judge is:
U. S. District Judge Henry Hudson
(804) 916-2290

This is what appears on the ASPCA web site. This is not good.

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Q. What happens to dogs that are seized from dog fight operations? Can they be rehabilitated?

Fighting dogs have been bred and trained to inflict injuries on other animals, and are difficult to house and care for. They are often relatively friendly to people, primarily adult males, since such people have been the only source of food and attention—but they can be unpredictable around people and any other animals. Concerns about liability, public safety and other risks mean that most animals seized from such operations are not adoptable, meaning they cannot be considered candidates for successful placement, and often have to be euthanized.
Confiscated fighting dogs are also at high risk of being stolen from shelters, foster care or other placements and returned to the fight trade.
Exceptions are sometimes made for puppies or other animals who show no signs of training or use in fighting, and who do not exhibit tendencies of aggression towards other animals or people. However, such animals must be carefully evaluated by trained animal behavior professionals, such as Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists, and their placement must be monitored over the long term.

Looks like the dogs WILL be individually evaluated, but not by Best Friends:

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=press_082307

Does anyone know ASPCA's stance on fighting dogs, or their track record as far as percentages saved? If their beliefs are the same as PETA's and HSUS's, then these evaluations might not actually help these poor dogs at all, and just fuel the stance that all dogs from possible fighting backgrounds should be automatically euthanized.