Tag Archives: dogfighting

Leo: One of Michael Vick’s Rescued Pit Bulls

The other night Inside Edition ran a story about one of the pit bulls rescued from Michael Vick’s dog fighting ring. His name is Leo, and he now lives in California with his new owner, Marthina McClay, who’s a member of Our Pack, a pit bull rescue organization. Leo’s Life with Marthina As you might imagine, Leo’s life with his new owner is a far cry from what it was with Mr. Vick and company. Gone are his days of dog fighting. But he still works. Though these days it’s as a therapy dog. That’s right. You read me right. … Continue reading →

Updates: HSUS Video Contest Winners and PETitionz.org’s Pet Food Regulation Progress

Do you ever see a story on the news and wonder how something ended up turning out? I do. I often wonder how the people or animals featured in whatever the story may have been are doing after whatever ordeal they endured. Well, I had a similar thing happen, except with two stories I wrote about earlier this year: PETitionz.org: Your Link to Voicing Pet Food Recall Concerns and Pet Projects: Make a Video, Write a Story, Nominate a Hero. I got to wondering how things were progressing or had turned out, so I decided to check it out and … Continue reading →

Vick Pleads Guilty: Ready to Stop Hearing About Him?

How do you feel about Michael Vick’s guilty plea? We knew it was coming even before he made it official yesterday. But now he has and I’m sort of relieved. Mainly because his crime won’t go unpunished, but also because the issue has sort of been beat to death. (I’m among those doing the beating, I fully admit!) I suspect some of you aren’t as interested in it all either anymore. (If you ever were. It’s okay if you weren’t, just means this didn’t interest you. Doesn’t make you any less of an animal lover.) I’ve seen passionate comments left … Continue reading →

Disturbing Support for Michael Vick

I’ve sort of been out of the loop the last few days. I had family in town and was busy enjoying their company and playing tour guide. Not much time for keeping up with the news. I did hear Michael Vick will plead guilty to federal conspiracy charges involving dogfighting. Which should make us animal lovers feel vindicated, right? His endorsement deals had been suspended or canceled altogether, he’d been banned from attending training camp –heck, his career in the NFL looked shaky altogether. All because us animal lovers spoke up, expressed our outrage and demonstrated we’re a force to … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for Jul 23-29

There was one issue in particular that dominated this week in the Pets Blog –dogfighting! Both Aimee and myself had plenty to say on that issue. But we covered other things as well. To find out what, consult your week-at-a-glance breakdown below. Monday, July 23 Aimee wrote about a group in Pennsylvania called Dogs Deserve Better. They’re trying to raise awareness about the cruelty and dangers of chaining via an event called Unchain the Fifty, where they try to get one person in each state to spend a minimum of eight hours chained to a doghouse. Tuesday, July 24 There … Continue reading →

Do You Know What Dogfighting Is?

Now that a high-profile sports star has been charged with dogfighting, the phenomenon is all over the news. But do you know what dogfighting is? Dogfighting is — as the name implies — a contest in which two dogs fight each other. The dogs are bred, conditioned, or trained to fight. The fights average an hour in length and can often last more than two hours; the fight is over when one of the dogs cannot or will not continue. During the fight, spectators can watch and bet on the outcome. Dogfighting is illegal in the United States and is … Continue reading →

Michael Vick Learns Animal Lovers Are a Force to Be Reckoned With

On Tuesday I wrote about more “Bad Newz” for Michael Vick and hoped there’d be more coming. Guess what? There was! (Already!) Animal rights groups like the ASPCA, PETA, and the HSUS have been battling for a long time to eliminate the inhumane world of dogfighting. They have to take it step-by-step because legislation differs from state to state. (They’ve made progress over the years, as at least now there’s some sort of dogfighting legislation on most books. However, there are still plenty of loopholes. For example, in Georgia dogfighting is a felony, but it’s legal to possess dogs for … Continue reading →

Congress Condemns Dogfighting

Since May — when the news of Michael Vick being involved with dogfighting came out — both Republicans and Democrats in Washington have been speaking out against dogfighting. Democrat Tom Lantos from California sent a letter to the commissioner of the NFL, asking for strong action against any athlete involved in dogfighting. A “strong rebuke,” he wrote, would send a message that dogfighting is not welcome in our “civilized society.” Anything less, however, would be seen as “tacit support for this atrocious activity.” Republican Elton Gallegly also wrote to the commissioner in May, condemning the alleged dogfighting activities. Last week … Continue reading →

Shelters Overwhelmed With Fighting Dogs

The dogs seized from Michael Vick’s property may be the most famous dogfighting survivors headed to animal shelters this month… but they aren’t the only ones. Animal control and police departments around the country have seized dozens of injured and abused pit bulls from dogfighting operations in homes, barns, yards, and on the streets. In July 2007: Six dogs were seized in Columbus, Ohio. Thirty-seven dogs were seized in South Holland, Illinois. Four dogs were seized in Chicago, Illinois. Thirty-one dogs were seized in Reelsboro, North Carolina. Twenty-two dogs were seized in Richland County, South Carolina. And that’s just a … Continue reading →

More “Bad Newz” for Michael Vick (With Hopefully More to Come)

Michael Vick should have stuck to football instead of getting involved in dogfighting. After all, football was his claim to fame. The 2001 number one draft pick who last year made history as the first quarterback to ever rush over 1,000 yards is now making history for something much less admirable. In fact, it’s downright despicable. Dogfigthing. It all started back in May when suspicions of dogfighting operations on his property came to light. What investigators found was simply awful. Dogs that had been killed in the most inhumane ways possible: hanged, electrocuted, shot, and even slammed to death on … Continue reading →