Dogs of war.
Yesterday, in the parking lot of my doctor’s office, I parked next to a car that had a picture of Jeff Probst taped to the dashboard. I wish I had my camera.
While I was in the waiting area, CNN was on the TV. There was a story about the dog-fighting involving some piece of shit football player named Michael Vick.
Admittedly, I don’t watch much news, so I didn’t know all the details of this story. But I do know this - I hope EVERY SINGLE PERSON that was associated with training those dogs to kill each other, starving them to make them more ferocious, and getting entertainment from watching these animals destroy each other are found, and I hope they’re prosecuted. If I had my way, they would be put down just like all the dogs (SIXTY-SIX of them - and those are the ones that were still alive when animal control got there) that were taken from the property will have to be. This makes me sick on a level I can’t even describe.
Sadly, I suspect what will happen is the same thing that happens to every player in the NFL that commits a crime - he’ll walk away. Maybe he’ll pay a fine, maybe he’ll get a little bit of probation. Probably not even that. He’ll go on to continue to play football, and he’ll be revered by fans and paid millions of dollars by his team and by advertisers, and no one will remember that he was incredibly inhumane to these animals, or that he was part of a drug investigation.
All people will remember is that he’s an athlete - and for some reason, that’s the most important thing.
9 Comments »
Comment by Chickpea
May 23, 2007 @
I am part of a community on livejournal called “stupidpetowners” and I posted an etry about this Michael Vick thing. They had it on the NFL website a month ago and I have been checking the local information about it. They found all sorts of shit including:
# a number of injured American Pit Bull Terrier dogs
# animal fighting paraphernalia
# animal training and breeding equipment including a “rape stand,” a device in which a female dog who is too aggressive to submit to males for breeding is strapped down to an elevated stand while her head is held in place by a restraint
# a “break†or “parting†stick used to pry open fighting dogs’ mouths during fights
# treadmills and “slat mills†used to condition dogs out of public view
# assorted paperwork documenting involvement in animal fighting ventures
# performance enhancing pharmaceuticals commonly used to increase the fighting potential in dogs trained for fighting, and to keep injured dogs fighting longer
Here’s more on it actually and it’s frequently updated: http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/11312/VA/US/
Vick will get away with maybe a fine at best because while he owns the property, he wasn’t living there. I’m sure some lawyer will find some loophole that keeps him exempt from monitoring his own property.
Comment by Chickpea
May 23, 2007 @
Okay another comment - I hate to make your blog a sounding board Andria, but I know a lot of people read this and I feel like I have to get the word out on this. I am a huge Redskins fan and I am now appalled by Clinton Portis and Chris Samuels - moreso by Portis. Read here:
I encourage every fan and non-fan of the Redskins to email them and tell them how absolutely appalling this is and you can do that here:
http://www.redskins.com/fanzone/emailredskins.jsp;jsessionid=PCPAKKNDDAFB
Comment by nogoodadddy
May 24, 2007 @
Ron Mexico is not happy with your blog.
(Smed is laughing) (Not at the story, but at my comment)
Comment by Incredipete
May 25, 2007 @
I am absolutely with you on this one. Animal cruelty is just unimaginable to me. My dogs are like members of the family.
In my neck of the woods, whenever there is a trial of an animal abuser, about 200 of us “dog lovers” show up to make sure the judge doesn’t take it too easy on the bastards.
Judges like to make the angry mob happy.
Comment by Incredipete
May 25, 2007 @
PS - Calling Michael Vick an athlete is a lot like calling Bill Maher a balanced and unbiased journalist.
Comment by Jen
May 30, 2007 @
I can barely deal with reading about such things. But, it’s like this. You know how some people watch amazing things like “Planet Earth,” but then say, “I just wish they didn’t preach so much because it makes me feel guilty. I don’t know what *I* can do to save the planet!” I don’t understand that at all. No one expects one person to save the planet, but if every person is doing the little things they can (i.e., turn off the lights in the rooms you’re not in, don’t leave the A/C on when you’re not at home, etc. etc.), it WILL make a difference. That’s all I can say about animal cruelty, too. As long as those of us who give a shit are DOING something, anything, even just ranting about it in a blog, it’s something.
Here’s a nice little story to make us all feel better: My backyard? It’s a fairy-tale. I’m not kidding. And I don’t mean the size of it, though it’s big by Southern California standards, and huge by NYC standards. What I mean is… somehow, lost and needy animals tend to know they can come to our backyard and it will be okay. We’ve had Lola, our outside stray for almost a year now. She has a couple of other cat friends who come to visit, and while I grumble about them going through the cat food more quickly, I like that they have a place to come. I told you once before about the opossum problems we were having - well, now there’s a damn family with babies hanging out many nights. They may even be living in our garage. Yes, they scare the piss out of me, but you know what? Not even Lola or her friends seem to mind them, not in our fairy-tale backyard, where even animals that are not supposed to get along, all come together and hang out. For every horrible property that is abusing animals, I have to hope there is a fairy-tale location like my backyard that is a sanctuary.
Hey, keep yourself tentatively open on July 4th (possible BBQ in the fairy-tale sanctuary) and July 9th (probable next game night), okay? If we DO have the BBQ on the fourth, all your family and friends are welcome.
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Comment by awittykitty
May 23, 2007 @
Our local news station JUST did a story about pit bulls. Over 65% of the dogs at our local SPCA are pitbulls and they very rarely get adopted because of their reputation. What’s sad is, not all of them have been trained to be killing machines. Some are very decent dogs. I go to the SPCA at least once a month and visit them (and kitties too, of course). Some ARE scary, but some are just frightened little dogs needing love. Sad.