micheal vick's dogs.....

[bell]

this is a good story, a big no-kill place is giving these dogs a chance......will they ever be able to be safe around your family? who knows......but at least they're getting some help and a chance


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By DOUG ALDEN, AP Sports Writer

KANAB, Utah - Two months ago, Shadow was one uncooperative pit bull.
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He had no interest in toys placed in his kennel and would firmly anchor his paws in the middle of walks, refusing to continue.

The dog wasn't being stubborn. He was frightened, adjusting to getting lavished with affection and attention after having survived the bloodthirsty world of dogfighting. Shadow and 21 other pit bulls are living at a southern Utah animal sanctuary where handlers hope to undo the mental damage done at Michael Vick's Bad Newz Kennels.

So far, the ragtag bunch of leftovers that other rescue groups passed over has shown encouraging progress.

"These are the 22 that they thought were the most hopeless — the least likely to ever be rehabilitated," said Dr. Frank McMillan, a veterinarian at the Best Friends Animal Society's sanctuary.

The 25 other dogs taken from Vick's operation were considered ready for adoption or foster care and went to other groups. The dogs Best Friends took were a mental mess.

It took weeks for handlers to get Shadow to stop cowering at the back of his kennel. Finally, someone discovered that he loves car rides and after a few spins through the red rock canyons — lapping up the air with his head hanging out the window — Shadow was warming up to his new caretakers.

The 21 others have also improved in the two months at Best Friends and McMillan said most of the early signs have been encouraging. Friendliness and calmness levels are generally improving and fear, aggression and excitability have decreased.

But it will be months before anyone can say whether the changes are temporary or genuine progress.

___

Vick's pit bulls are getting a chance most fighting dogs don't. And surprisingly, animal rights groups don't think they should. Groups such as the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals believe that euthanasia, the fate of most fighting dogs, would still be the most humane option, rather than keeping them in a shelter indefinitely or in some cases permanently.

Daphna Nachminovitch, PETA vice president for cruelty investigations, said as touching as it seems to give these dogs a taste of happiness after enduring such misery, nobody can be certain how they will behave if they are ever released.

"It's all very tragic, but there has to be some dose of realism for America," Nachminovitch said. "This isn't the last fighting ring that's going to be busted. Most fighting dogs don't get to go to Best Friends."

Nachminovitch said the money — which Vick was ordered to pay as part of his sentence — being spent on the dogs at Best Friends would be better used helping animals that face euthanasia because of overpopulation.

McMillan said PETA has a point. If a dog's disposition and behavior are misread and the animal is sent to the wrong environment, the results could be tragic. So the evaluation process will be extensive and stringent for at least six months, longer in some cases.

McMillan put together a list of behaviors that are tracked daily for each dog. He had to create his own because the concept of rehabilitating fighting dogs is so unusual.

Caregivers note how each dog interacts with people, whether the animals are frightened or aggressive and what triggers their responses. Handlers spend time walking, playing with and training each dog, and logging every trend and development.

"It's hard to know what normal is because there's never been a big rescue of fighting dogs to this level," McMillan said.

McMillan compiles the daily reports and does a monthly overall assessment on how the animals are doing. The results are compared to how they were when they arrived in early January and the very first evaluation done in Virginia.

McMillan said the February results were almost all positive.

"Right now it's very gratifying to see where we are," he said.

Two of the dogs are under court order to spend the rest of their lives at the sanctuary about 70 miles north of the Grand Canyon. The 20 others could find new homes, if they ever are considered well enough to interact with humans and other dogs.

And any dogs that don't meet the safety standards get to stay at Best Friends.

"We believe that the worst thing to do would be to kill these dogs," Best Friends chief executive Paul Berry said. "They all want to succeed and not giving them that chance, to me, is extremely cruel. It's very, very shortsighted thinking."

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Best Friends' sanctuary sprawls over 3,700 acres just north of the Arizona-Utah border. Dogs, horses, rabbits, birds — pick a species — have their own area of the no-kill sanctuary where experts give care to the animals that need it and the others are sheltered until they can find homes. Vick's dogs have their own building and individual runs in "Dogtown," an area high in the canyons where the only sound is the barking of dozens of dogs.

While some seem like happy, normal dogs, others still show signs of the canine equivalent to post-traumatic stress disorder.

Shadow is still frightened of strangers.

Layla continues to bristle at the sight of another dog.

Little Red is friendly, but very wary of strangers and takes a while to trust people. Handlers believe she was used as a bait dog, her teeth filed to nubs so she wouldn't fight back when other dogs were trained to attack her.

Georgia's teeth were pulled out altogether, probably to keep her from attacking while she was bred.

Lucas, a heavily scarred male, is one of the friendliest. He loves visitors and jumps on his doghouse in anticipation when somebody starts to open his kennel gate. Lucas' tail wags like a propeller as he prepares to greet whomever with a big wet lick to the face.

"Most of these guys, we couldn't go near at first," said trainer John Garcia, who was part of the team that evaluated the dogs in Virginia before they were sent to the various groups. "They were so shy and so down and scared. Now they're just loving on us, coming up for attention — just very, very outgoing."

As friendly as he is, Lucas is one of the dogs that will never be up for adoption because of his violent past. The dozens of scars that cover his body are a clear indication that he was a veteran fighter, meaning he was good enough to keep being put back in the ring as spectators gambled on whether he would tear apart another dog.

Lucas will spend the rest of his life at the sanctuary. He gets several walks a day, he's fed and has shelter.

___

Nachminovitch said that sounds good to most people, but the dog will still be spending the rest of his life in confinement.

But McMillan said this is a chance to see whether loving care and training are enough to rehabilitate fighting dogs. He said the program could also be a valuable step in dispelling the notion that pit bulls are innately dangerous.

The instinct to attack other dogs will take a long time to erase — if it can be done. There was a fight when one dog was mistakenly put into a kennel where another dog was already being kept. Garcia said it was a simple mistake, and the dogs were quickly separated before either was injured.

Most of the dogs will remain isolated from each other for a while longer. McMillan said handlers have brought a few of the dogs — very carefully and on restraints — together already. Some of the meetings have gone well, others were quickly halted when dogs showed warning signs as they approached.

It's going to be a slow process.

"It could be years. We don't know, but we're willing to take care of them as long as it takes," Garcia said.

PETA feels such limited contact is wrong. Best Friends maintains it's better than the alternative.

___

[Mule]

I heard about this, great story.

[URY914]

Sorry but I wouldn't trust my 2 year old to be around them.

[Mule]

You shouldn't. Not everybody has 2 yo's.

[bell]

yep, at best some of these dogs will find families after more rehabilitation and will be ok with them, the problem dogs are at least being given a shot under some very good conditions, so they're chances of living out a full life are good.

kudos to them

[Buckterrier]

They just did a piece on the ABC news this evening, brought a tear to my eye, (I know I'm a pussy). Said that if they can't be placed they can live out their life in Utah. The National Geographic channel will be doing a special on them in the future.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by Buckterrier

They just did a piece on the ABC news this evening, brought a tear to my eye, (I know I'm a pussy). Said that if they can't be placed they can live out their life in Utah. The National Geographic channel will be doing a special on them in the future.

Mussssttt resist the urge! .....Take the shot, take the shot!... No, don't do it .... I'm out, I'm out

[Buckterrier]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

Mussssttt resist the urge! .....Take the shot, take the shot!... No, don't do it .... I'm out, I'm out

Come on... putem' up... putem' up!!!!!!!!
You aren't the guy that once posted he's had like three dogs runover in front of his house are you Tim?

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by Buckterrier

Come on... putem' up... putem' up!!!!!!!!
You aren't the guy that once posted he's had like three dogs runover in front of his house are you Tim?

Cat's yes, but none of the three dogs I have owned in recent years have gotten hit by cars, but I did have to put two of them out of their misery over the last several years. No fun but it had to be done.

[Buckterrier]

yes me also, a Manchester Terrier of 15 years.

[Jeff Higgins]

Wow; I cannot believe I am actually agreeing with anything PETA has to say. They are dogs; just dogs. Potentially dangerous dogs. At a minimum, very screwed up dogs. It's time to put them down and move on.

[aigel]

PETA is against us humans having pets. There is more on their website, but here a taste (http://www.peta.org/campaigns/ar-petaonpets.asp)

This selfish desire to possess animals and receive love from them causes immeasurable suffering, which results from manipulating their breeding, selling or giving them away casually, and depriving them of the opportunity to engage in their natural behavior. Their lives are restricted to human homes where they must obey commands and can only eat, drink, and even urinate when humans allow them to.

This is the reason they want the dogs gone - their agenda is to have a pet free society. They will do anything to get there ASAP. PETA is infamous for killing a majority of the pets left to their care:

http://www.petakillsanimals.com/

Vick is paying for the dogs shelter and / or socialization. If he pays for them to roam a ranch in Utah, they should. That is what was decided in court. Of course PETA probably would have rather been "caring" for the animals. They would kill them all and use the money for their propaganda.

George

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I'd never trust a dog with a fighting history. Most shelters (wisely) don't put such dogs up for adoption. Usually as far as they ever get is foster homes, not open adoption. Most are sadly euthanized, but in that case I can understand why, even if I don't like it.

[Buckterrier]

Originally Posted by aigel

PETA is against us humans having pets. There is more on their website, but here a taste (http://www.peta.org/campaigns/ar-petaonpets.asp)



This is the reason they want the dogs gone - their agenda is to have a pet free society. They will do anything to get there ASAP. PETA is infamous for killing a majority of the pets left to their care:

http://www.petakillsanimals.com/

Vick is paying for the dogs shelter and / or socialization. If he pays for them to roam a ranch in Utah, they should. That is what was decided in court. Of course PETA probably would have rather been "caring" for the animals. They would kill them all and use the money for their propaganda.

George

Wow thanks George, never knew that stuff. Yeah all my pets have it REALLY tough Spoiled, pampered animals. I just know they'd rather be out in this freezing cold foraging for the little food that's left on the little land that is there for them.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by Buckterrier

Wow thanks George, never knew that stuff. Yeah all my pets have it REALLY tough Spoiled, pampered animals. I just know they'd rather be out in this freezing cold foraging for the little food that's left on the little land that is there for them.

There is plenty of land once you leave the big city and believe it or not, there are also plenty of predators. We have plenty of coyotes and hawks around here that like to make short work of kittens and puppies
Of course around here, once kittens and puppies grow up they do a bang up job of hunting critters themselves. Our cats have killed rabbits and the dogs have helped us keep the woodchuck population down. I wonder if PETA would rather have my dog get in a fight with and kill a woodchuck or whether they would prefer it when my wife or daughter dusts one with a rifle? PETA would probably take issue with either scenario as they don't think we should own pets. Some pet lovers would say to kill the woodchuck to avoid risking the welfare of the precious dog. Others animal lovers would say it is OK for the dog to do it (animals can kill animals, people can't), but it is a sin for my wife to do it.

I have watched an eagle take a bluegill from my pond, I guess that is OK in PETA'S eyes, just as long as I don't kill the fish myself. Sorry, I just have to laugh at some of the bickering over this kind of crap. What is next, a thread about the poor trees that get cut down to make violins and airplanes? I can't wait for that one I am going to be all over it with pictures of poor dead wood being brutally and selfishly being abused by mankind.

[peppy]

George is correct. I think Vick paid something like a million $ to care for the dogs.

Not all of the dogs are pit bulls, some of them are beagles that were used to train the pit bulls.

[Cornpanzer]

Originally Posted by bell

Nachminovitch said that sounds good to most people, but the dog will still be spending the rest of his life in confinement.

___

What a knucklehead comment. The dog will live in a loving environment with two walks a day, good food and a roomy pen. thats better than most "pets" I see in the country around me here.
Last week I saw a big dog chained to its doghouse by an 8' chain. He was drity and neglected and he is probably still there, even though we had a blizzard this weekend.
PETA should spend more of thier time worrying about the thousands of dogs who are chained up and live thier entire lives in a tiny radius of thier doghouse.

[Don Plumley]

I am heartened to see some good come out of this mess for those poor dogs. There was a story here in the Bay Area where some rehabilitated dogs have been adopted through www.badrap.org

As I've said before, I'm a huge bully breed supporter. The way these dogs have learned to trust and love humans, when humans before them abused them so badly, speaks volumes about the inherent character of these dogs and is a great lesson in forgiveness.

For those interested in the process, here's the badrap story about the Vick dogs:

Never has a group of pit bulls received as much media attention as the dogs from former NFL player Michael Vick's yard. While it's certain nobody would've known about these victimized dogs had they not been part of a fallen sports figure's dog fighting venture, they earned celebrity in their own right by surviving two certain deaths, thanks to a large scale rescue effort led, in part, by the federal government - a first of its kind.

Public opinion fell strongly in favor of helping the dogs. In this landmark animal welfare case, federal prosecuting attorneys, federal agents, the USDA, six Virginia animal shelters, a court appointed animal law expert and several rescue organizations including BAD RAP all teamed together to reach the goal of evaluating 49 fight bust victims and then sending them to new and better lives with rescue organizations around the country.

In the past, shelters have been encouraged to put all fight bust dogs to their deaths because it was assumed that they were each going to be dangerous, uncontrollable animals. They’ve been called ‘Kennel Trash’ and accused of taking up space normally reserved for other dogs. Evaluating them as individuals revealed new information about dogs from fight busts and helped shatter old myths previously used to condemn them.

Evaluating the Dogs

We submitted a rescue proposal to federal prosecutor Mike Gil back in July 2007 when Michael Vick was indicted. We knew the dogs could end up destroyed if we didn't act fast. When the gov't agreed to let the dogs be evaluated, we were thrilled and quite surprised. Typically, fight bust dogs are only held as evidence and then destroyed once ownership shifts over to the authorities. In this case, feds chose a different path and decided to look at the dogs as victims.

Tim Racer and Donna Reynolds from BAD RAP flew out to Virginia in September along with Justin Phillips of Monterey SPCA to join a team of six other evaluators. The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) organized the testing. Three days in the hot Virginia sun produced 24 hours of video tape a pile of score sheets and some surprising results: Only one dog was too aggressive to be handled. All the rest were quite safe to touch.

There were a variety of personalities in this group of dogs, but all were suffering from the stress of long term confinement. They'd been locked up for 4 months when we met them and most hadn't seen the light of day during that time. Many of the dogs were happy to see us, but a large number were really shut down and flattened themselves to the ground during the testing: They were just too frightened to move. This comes from living a life on a chain in the woods without human kindness, and then more isolation in the shelters. Interestingly, many of these same shut down dogs came to life when they were tested with other dogs. Instead of lunging or trying to attack, they were overjoyed to see the other dogs and sprang into play bows and happy, appropriate greetings. As the evaluations went on and more showed dog friendly behavior, images of dogs tortured at Bad Newz Kennels for "not performing well" (for not showing fight drive) became a little too real.

Two more months passed before paper work allowed these dogs to leave the VA shelter system. The newly appointed Guardian Master Rebecca Huss wisely called for another round of evalutions knowing that eight more weeks of shelter life could change the disposition of these dogs, so Tim Racer went back out to VA where the two of them reevaluated all 48.

While many from the grouping were under socialized and leery of people, twenty two dogs were were quite happy with people and dog social enough to earn new lives in foster homes with other pets. Sixteen were allowed to leave the shelters early in October in order to begin their healing in a quiet setting and fend off the damage of long term confinement. Ten of these mature dogs are now living in CA as part of BAD RAP's foster care program.

To help prevent the remaining dogs from being lost to kennel stress, BAD RAP representative Nicole Rattay moved to Virginia for six weeks to provide in-shelter care and assessment. The dogs still waiting to leave got their first baths, toys, treats, walks, hugs, comfort and companionship. Nicole's efforts were hugely important: Not only was she keeping the dogs sane, her daily reports offered gave Rebecca Huss enough information to help make appropriate placement matches with each of the eight organizations that applied to absorb dogs into their adoption programs.

Home to Heal

After re-evaluating all 48 dogs, the USDA gave the green light to move 16 dogs to interim foster care so they could begin healing by decompressing from the stress of shelter life. On October 21 2007, the first of three of the dogs left their VA shelters to travel to new locations with two east coast rescue groups. Two days later, BAD RAP representatives loaded up a rented RV and began a cross-country road trip to bring 13 dogs to new lives with three different rescue organizations on the west coast. The group worked quietly to avoid alerting the media. Charting the long trip involved steering around towns where breed specific legislation threatened the dogs' safety. Even so, a necessary potty break was cut short when a sympathetic traveler warned the drivers that they were in unfriendly territory.

See them Now!

The only difference between BAD RAP's 'Vick dogs' and the rest of the dogs in their foster care program is their celebrity. All are now living in volunteer foster homes with other pets and some, with children. Like other BAD RAP dogs, they're receiving basic obedience training and learning house manners. All are neutered and micro-chipped. All have different personalities. We can expect they will be well-mannered, good canine citizens that will blend right in with society. After escaping two certain deaths, they're now destined to be well loved family pets and they'll continue to help break down the stereotypes the breed has suffered.

Up until recently, most of the dogs have been deprived of experiencing things that other dogs take for granted. While their bodies heal from neglect and stress, they're being exposed to everything the world has to offer to ensure that they respond appropriately. They're also provided with stable homes with lots of structure, guidance and training. Dogs feel much more secure when they have a routine and, especially, a leader that they can look to for direction. Helping these dogs is a simple as giving them what they never had before and what every dog deserves.

I encourage anyone with misconceptions about the breed and their rehabilitation to watch the videos.

[Buckterrier]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

There is plenty of land once you leave the big city and believe it or not, there are also plenty of predators. We have plenty of coyotes and hawks around here that like to make short work of kittens and puppies
Of course around here, once kittens and puppies grow up they do a bang up job of hunting critters themselves. Our cats have killed rabbits and the dogs have helped us keep the woodchuck population down. I wonder if PETA would rather have my dog get in a fight with and kill a woodchuck or whether they would prefer it when my wife or daughter dusts one with a rifle? PETA would probably take issue with either scenario as they don't think we should own pets. Some pet lovers would say to kill the woodchuck to avoid risking the welfare of the precious dog.

What problems do the woodchuck population cause? I never heard of them being a problem. Or are they just a nice pop-up target?

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by Buckterrier

What problems do the woodchuck population cause? I never heard of them being a problem. Or are they just a nice pop-up target?

They eat lots of soybeans dig holes along ditches surrounding farm fields. Most farmers have been shooting these d@mn things for years. My wife's dad was a farmer and she has probably shot more of them than me over the years.

There used to be groups of farmers in our area that would get together on Saturdays to shoot fox and coyote, but not so much anymore. We have a lot of them now and the deer are everywhere. I sure hope hunting becomes popular again around here as I have had too many close calls with deer on my commute to work in recent years.