More of Vick's fighting dogs at Utah rescue

Another 22 of Michael Vick's Pit Bulls now reside at a no-kill shelter and animal behavior compound in the mountains of Kanab, Utah. They've been there only ten days but are already showing signs of improvement.

Best Friends Animal Society, Kanab, Utah.

Lucas, Vick's top fighter, is there and will remain there, at Best Friends Animal Society, for the rest of his life. As affectionate and people-friendly as he is, a judge ruled he can never be adopted because of his past.

Lucas

The dogs were not neutered when in Vick's "care." The females were bred, especially if they were good fighters - a valued trait at Bad Newz Kennels, obviously. One unfortunate female named Georgia had all of her teeth pulled, possibly to prevent her harming males being forced on her to breed. I guess that was easier than trying to muzzle her, eh?

Some of the dogs will never go to homes. Some will never be able to associate with other dogs. But at least they will live their lives in a place where they'll be loved, regardless their past or their training.

Here is a video from CNN on a few of the dogs (I warn you that there is a clip of a dog fight in the middle of it - it's grainy and pale so it's instantly recognizable, and there is no sound to it, so it's easy to look away [as I must] while it plays for about 10 seconds). You can also peruse some pretty eye-0pening information about Pit Bulls at Best Friends Animal Society.

As for whether the rescued Pit Bulls can ever be good house pets, the good people at Best Friends are optimistic but realistic:

We’ve worked with bully breeds and dog-aggressive dogs for many years. And we’ve had very good success in rehabilitating many who have been as severely abused as these have. So we’re quite confident that in recovering their trust and then teaching them new life skills, many of them can be adoptable, given the right home environment. We’ll see how it goes, and take each one on a case-by-case basis, but our trainers are already making breakthroughs in just the few weeks the dogs have been here. It’s really amazing to watch them working together.

I still maintain that they're dogs and dogs want to be good. I also still maintain that Vick got off easy. Why do people do bad things to animals when it's so easy to do good things with them?

And again, I'd like to encourage my friends and readers to donate to your local Humane Society, local animal shelter, or any of the organizations I've written about in my blog. Remember that money isn't the only donation possible. I'll be buying all new bath towels soon and all of the old ones will be finding their new home at Wayside Waifs here in Kansas City.

And please, be kind to animals.

Update from Best Friends:

I received an email from the Animal Society in Kanab, and inside it was a great link with an overview of the Pit Bull "breed." It's great reading if you're interested in knowing about the various bully breeds and why they have the bad reputation they do.

Read here at Pit Bull Rescue Central.

The victims who are not the vanquished

This is not a piece about jewelry.

As you may have surmised by the presence of H.R.H. Zelda on my blog here, I love dogs. Zelda gets top billing between my two canine cuddlers, although Boris, her "brother," who doesn't really mind playing second fiddle to the Princess, is the sweetest little male Chihuahua this side of the Pecos (and the more obedient of the two).(Above: Boris as a child.)

As a person who will not raise a hand to a dog even when it's being really bad (it's never necessary - you know that if you've half a brain - it mostly shows what an imbecile you are), I was one of many aghast at the discovery of Michael Vick's dog fighting operation, Bad Newz Kennels. I'll not go into a tirade about what major league (or even college-level) sports does to athletes (I'm not fully convinced that competition causes aggression - it may be the other way around). But something had to have happened (or perhaps didn't happen) to someone who would treat other sentient beings in such a manner.

I can't abide cruelty to those who can't defend themselves. That includes children, the elderly, the disabled and animals. So I was ecstatic when Vick was caught, convicted and sentenced (he's serving his prison sentence near here in Leavenworth Penitentiary).

Then today, while watching CNN, I caught a segment about Bad Rap (www.badrap.org) in Oakland, CA and a site called Dogtime (www.dogtime.com). I was happy to hear that 49 of the 50 dogs confiscated from Vick's dogfighting compound in rural Virginia were rescued by different organizations around the country. The one poor dog that was euthanized had been so scarred, so overbred and so alienated from human kindness that she could not be rescued.

Bad Rap (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pit bulls - it's a stretch to create the acronym, but I'm glad they're there) has taken, evaluated and fostered 10 of these dogs. They've rehabilitated them all, and some needed more than others, but they found that these scarred, neglected and abused Pit Bulls are mostly just lovable and good dogs wanting to be happy house pets. Check out Hector:



Some of the dogs are still frightened of humans. Some are terribly torn and have been repaired (on the outside - the inside may still need work). But instead of being killed for being A) considered hopeless, and B) pit bulls, they're living in loving and supportive homes and have proven to be great companions. All thanks to people who believe that dogs are dogs, and are not born evil just by nature of their breed.

I know about the Pit Bull stigma and I just don't buy it. Some dogs are born bad (like some people), and some are taught to be bad (uh, like some people), but most dogs (like people!) want to be good, happy, loving and loved. Pit Bulls are no different. They used to be the common house dog in the early part of the last century. Everyone had one; they were family pets, considered no more dangerous than your average lovable black Lab of today.

If you're considering a pet adoption, consider a Pit Bull (as long as they're not illegal in your area). You may be skittish because of the way they've been portrayed, and that's a shame. But there are also many other kinds of dogs out there who'd love to live in your home and be a part of your family. I recommend Petfinder.com, Dogtime.com, and a visit to your local animal shelter. It's an excellent idea to find out what size, energy level, fur factor and age of dog you're best suited to, and Dogtime has an entire questionnaire to narrow that down for you.

Consider the Chihuahua: also a stigmatized breed, but no more vicious or "bitey" than any other dog who hasn't been properly socialized and cared for. They're considered "yappy." I can assure you, they bark no more than any other dog, because, well, that's what they are. They're dogs. They are protective of their humans, acting as the alarm system in the house. They are protectors, predators, scavengers, playful and curious, and very house-trainable, as all domestic dogs are. Pit Bulls are no different, regardless what the prejudice against them is. It's the human behind the dog 99.9% of the time that deserves the congratulations or the blame for a dog's behavior.

My 77-year-old mother and I found her Chihuahua, Daisy, through a rescue group (LL Dog Rescue) here in Kansas City that we located through Petfinder. Mom and Daisy have been together now for 7 years and couldn't be a better match.

So please give to the animal rescue organization of your choice, whether it be your local shelter, SPCA (click that link and you'll find a short video about how the SPCA is working to bring soldiers' dogs home from Iraq), Dogtime, Bad Rap, Out of the Pits (another Pit Bull rescue organization), your local Humane Society (click here to see a HS report about the 12 dogs rescued from Vick's compound that were not Pit Bulls), or other dog rescue site. If you don't want to donate money, then give your old towels, dog food, blankets, dog toys, bleach or anything else a shelter might use for cleaning, feeding or otherwise caring for unwanted animals. It's tax deductible, you know.

It never ceases to amaze me that people can be as cruel as they are to dogs. All they want is to be loved, and they deserve it.