In my last post about Pit Bulls, I briefly mentioned Michael Vick. I wanted to discuss the controversy more as I followed this story from day one. I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of the dog fighting ring he ran and if you haven’t heard the story, I’m not sure how you’re reading this blog because you probably don’t have internet access.
Michael Vick was a successful football player for the Atlanta Falcons, who had a big slip-up in 2007 when authorities searched his property in Virginia, the site of Bad Newz Kennels, where Vick and friends operated a dog fighting ring. Authorities found sheds in the woods painted black, from top to bottom, wire cages and dog houses, car axles where dogs were chained, and training equipment such as treadmills and spring bars. The spring bars have rubber rings that the dogs hung from to strengthen their jaws. The living conditions for the dogs were inhumane. Authorities also uncovered rape stands to strap females into for breeding, syringes, and a fighting pit in one of the sheds. The dogs were subject to test fights, where they would put the dogs in the fighting pit for a short time to see if they were conditioned to fight. If the dogs did not show interest, they were killed by electrocution, drowning, gunshot, etc. Approximately 50 dogs were seized during the raid and Michael Vick was indicted and sentenced to 23 months in prison for running a dog fighting operation.
When I heard this story in the news, I was shocked and disgusted. I cried when I heard the details of horror uncovered by the authorities. I followed the story closely and was happy that Michael Vick was sentenced to prison time because it seems that a lot of high-profile people get off easy. I watched a show called DogTown on National Geographic that gave me comfort as it showed the rehabilitation of the surviving Pit Bulls from Bad Newz Kennels. After Michael Vick got out of jail, many people were rooting for him to fail miserably. While I admit that I initially felt that way, my attitude has changed. I believe in second chances and that people can learn from their mistakes. I’m sure while Michael Vick was in the middle of the dog fighting operation, he was hardened. Through this whole experience, he has had time to reflect on what he did and why it was wrong. There was a huge public outcry in the wake of this story, and I hope that he listened to it, learned from it, and is taking the steps to make himself a more productive member of society. So far, the rehabilitation of his public image is going well. I hope that people took it as a teachable moment, not only to learn about why his actions were wrong, but to learn a little bit more about Pit Bulls and the culture surrounding them.
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