Posted on 12/29/2010 9:35:07 AM PST by EBH
Now that President Obama has jumped on the Michael Vick bandwagon with an official call to Eagles’ owner Jeffrey Lurie to congratulate him for giving the quarterback another chance, all of us here at Best Friends are waiting for a call from the White House to congratulate us for giving Vick’s dogs a second chance. I’m quite sure that the other organizations that also took on some of the canine survivors of the football star’s dogfighting operation are similarly poised.
The conventional wisdom on this is that the president’s people have put their finger to the wind and decided that Michael Vick has been sanitized for political consumption by his success. (It’s interesting to speculate how he would be perceived if he were having a lousy year.) Personally, I’m kind of tired of hearing and reading about Michael Vick and wish that the media would lose its obsession with the man, especially since any mention of or concern about the dogs who managed to escape with their lives from his care is conspicuously absent from his public statements.
While we no longer wait by the phone for a call from Mr. Vick asking after his dogs, the likelihood of a call from the president has brought new esprit to the switchboard team and I’ve put together some notes on those we call the Vicktory dogs in case someone puts the historic call through to me by mistake. The conversation will go something like this:
“Mr. President, what a surprise! Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to commend us for giving the Vicktory dogs a second chance. Sure, I’ve got a few minutes to fill you in … kind of a presidential briefing, I guess.
“To be quite honest, sir, it’s kind of a mixed bag as far as how the dogs are doing. After all, these critters were right there when Michael Vick and his friends were body slamming some of their doggie buddies to death and electrocuting, drowning and hanging others. Unlike Mr. Lurie and the NFL, Bad Newz Kennels wasn’t into second chances. What’s that, sir? Yes, he’s having a great year … yeah, a terrific arm.
“So, as I was saying, it’s a mixed bag on the dogs, though some are doing very well, all things considered. Handsome Dan, Cherry, Mel, Oliver and Halle have all been adopted and some of these guys were pretty shut down, you know, terrified when they arrived here. Mel was mentioned in Bill Plaschke’s article in the L.A. Times about Michael Vick … yeah, he interviewed Mel’s new family in Texas. Poor dog still shakes in a corner whenever a new person comes to the house, but he’s in a great home and that’s what counts.
“What’s that, sir? Sure, we want them all to be adopted and live in homes with a nice family, but unlike Mr. Vick, the court has ordered that most of the dogs, based on their behavior evaluations back in 2007, have to pass a good citizen test before they can be adopted. No, I’m serious. It’s called a Canine Good Citizen certificate, CGC, and it means that the dogs are able to demonstrate self-control, sociability and friendliness toward people and other dogs. Actually, it’s quite an accomplishment for a dog who was encouraged to be aggressive or maybe was used as a bait dog. Sir? Oh, a bait dog is a relatively non-aggressive dog who gets thrown into the ring with a stronger fighter just to give the stronger dog confidence and a taste for blood. That’s right, sir, kinda like a press secretary.
“Anyway, 16 dogs are still at the Sanctuary: Mya, Shadow, Lucas, Layla, Willie Boy, Georgia, Meryl, Ellen, Tug, Denzel, Ray, Squeaker, Lance, Curly, Little Red and Oscar. And they get a lot of attention. Most of them have health issues; some have bebesia, a blood parasite that spreads among fighting dogs and flares up occasionally. Some have immune problems that we speculate came from excessive use of steroids, but they continue to make progress.
“Ray, who was really shy and dog-reactive when he arrived, has earned his CGC. Oscar got his CGC and Shadow has made such great progress that he has a potential adopter coming to meet him next week. We’re very pleased. Most of the dogs are now social enough to share a run with another dog and some spend a few days a week in staff offices, getting comfortable in new environments with people coming and going. Yes, I guess it is a bit like the new Congress, except that most of the dogs would never bite you and I doubt that Congress people are able to share a run, um, I mean, an office.
“Why do we do all this for these dogs? Well, Mr. President, that’s a big question but I’ll try to keep it short. First of all, we don’t believe that killing the Vick dogs, which many people and even some animal organizations wanted to do, would have been right. We know that they are individuals with the potential to have rewarding lives. They were like child soldiers kidnapped by warlords and forced to fight; no one thinks child soldiers should be killed just because they are damaged. Same thing applies here. Also, the Vicktory dogs are victims of a crime. As long as they are struggling to regain even a semblance of the life that should have been theirs from birth, then that crime continues to affect lives, dog and human, and is not yet a thing of the past, regardless of Michael Vick’s jail time or talent. You’re right, sir, it’s not funny and I’d hate to think of Bo in that situation, too.
“Of course, no worries! I’ve got a pretty busy day as well. Nothing like yours, but thanks for calling and please pass along a Happy New Year to Michelle, the girls and Bo from all the animals and staff here at Best Friends…. Oh, just one more thing: I think it would be a great message to send if you adopted a shelter dog as a companion for Bo, maybe a cute pittie girl with a big smile and wiggly butt. Sure, we can set you up. Call anytime — you’ve got the number. And a good day to you, too, Mr. President.”
Try again.
I've hunted deer, I've bagged one every season I have applied (it has been awhile). But, you know what? Not 1 of the deer I shot - suffered. I pride myself on my stealth and accuracy - and a head-shot at 75 yards with a 22-250 means that the animal felt nothing.
One moment it was grazing, it heard a whistle - it put it's head up to discern where the whistle came from - and the lights went out.
Compare that to a dog forced to fight in a cage, then beat and electicuted by a brute. Sorry, no comparision to deer hunting in the slightest.
Gratuitus Sadistic torture - yes; Deer Hunting - absolutely not.
Ok, let's put some metrics in place, shall we? A drunk can decide to get sober. A person with a bad temper can decide to learn self-discipline. A fat person can chose to exercise and diet - and become an active, and fit person.
A person who invests his money into a torture camp, in which animals are forced to tear each other up - for entertainment - that is the mark of a twisted, perverted, sadist. That is who Vick is - deep down, he's a sick, twisted person who delights and gets a deep sense of satisfaction forcing animals to tear each other up - so he can get a thrill (whether it's a sexual thrill is debatable).
To further show the depth of his depravity - the dog that did not 'win' or measure up to Vick's desire for blood and pain - was systemically tortured and electricuted at Vick's own hands - for his personal gratification.
This wasn't a drunk falling off the bandwagon - this was a man who bought property, built buildings and purchased animals for this sick and perverse purpose.
This is the same sort of person who would delight in kidnapping little girls, raping them, torturing them and cutting them up or electricuting them - if he only had the courage to go that far. This is a sick, perverted soul - you cannot change who you essentially are. This is who Vick really is .... do you think for a moment that he would have pulled back, if he hadn't been exposed?
I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess you ate the deer meat too. Most of us eat meat; not many of us have the gnads to do the deeds required to get it ourselves. I’d like to know the products that are produced by a recently-killed fighting dog. I’m guessing it’s not much besides entertainment for a sick-minded crowd. And make no mistake - the torture IS the entertainment for these freaks. If the dog fight was over as quick as a deer is dropped by the perfect shot, then those sub-humans wouldn’t bother with their “sport.†The deer hunter strives for a quick death of his victim; the dog fighter needs at all costs to avoid it.
You apparently didn’t read past the first four words of my post.
Guilty as charged.
On a side note - some people love Venison chops, steaks and roasts. Me, I'd really rather have the whole deer ground up into Summer Sausage. We had a neighborhood butcher who made the most fantastic Hickory smoked sausage I've ever had. 3 inches in diameter, mixed with pork fat and seasoned to perfection.
This stuff was awesome sliced like lunch meat (tomato, lettuce, bread and Miricle Whip), even better sliced and browned for breakfast - and was passible when diced into a casserole. The latter being tolerable - but generally a waste of this fantastic stuff.
Either you whistle before you pull the trigger or you have one mighty slow 22-250.
I read it ... and a lifetime of bad decisions is a matter of his lack of intelligence - not a measure of the twisted depths of a depraved soul.
Having a family full of bad decision-makers, indicates that Vick is .... well, stupid. Call him dumb, stupid, even a moron. He can see bad decisions, he can see the results of bad decisions, but is incapable of learning from bad decisions. That speaks of a lack of intellect. Low IQ - however you opt to classify it.
But, getting aroused and motivated by watching a dog get torn apart - that is NOT a bad decision. Torturing a dog that doesn’t win - and is already badly hurt - that is NOT a bad decision. That is a sick and depraved action of a sick, perverted soul.
Some people eagerly seek out to do things - that a ‘normal’ person could never be forced to do. If necessary, I will kill a dog - but you can bet my life, or the lives of my loved ones on one fact.
I will not torture that animal, I will not get pleasure from watching the animal suffer, and I will not prolong the agony of that animal. It will be quick, it will be as humane as possible.
What Vick did - is something that he relished, that he enjoyed, that he fantasized about doing. The longer the animal suffered, the more it was tortured - the greater Vick’s enthusiasm.
This is not a case of ‘poor judgement’, anymore than the kidnapping, rape, torture and murder of a 3 yr old girl is a ‘bad decision’.
Felons = natural Democrat constituency.
He can see bad decisions, he can see the results of bad decisions, but is incapable of learning from bad decisions.
That is the definition of an addict.
you sound like your knickers a bit tight. I didn’t realize that the rules had changed and you could only post in perfect harmony with you and your opinion.
Well at least I know one person read it like it was intended. Cheers!
Whistling to get my prey’s attention is a trick my Dad taught me, hunting Cottontails.
Get the shot framed, animal in the sights, whistle gently (and low pitched - a high pitch may make them run). It doesn’t have to be loud, in fact it’s better if it’s at the level of a loud whisper. That way, it sounds more distant.
The animal will typically think “What was that? And where did it come from?”
Then, a moment later the lights are out - fast, painless, clean. Best part - Zero wasted meat.
I like the 22-250 for Whitetail Deer. It’s not a good long-range weapon (IHMO, your opinion may vary) - but it was the rifle that was available from a kindly neighbor. But, it’s been years since I’ve hunted. Right now, if I were to get back into hunting, I think I’d go for something a wee bit bigger.
Oh ... you can post your opinion...
Just don’t expect it to go unquestioned and unchallenged, especially when it sounds like a redistribution policy regarding someone else’s time and money.
Hadn’t considered that. You are correct, I’d agree. Addicts can see their mistakes, they are just unwilling - or lack the self-discipline to make the necessary corrections.
But, are you saying that torturing animals is an addiction?
I would classify this as a sign of a mentally defficient degenerate, a pervert, a sadist - not someone with a weak will.
I am not a Michael Vick fan. I was definately outraged like most people, but I do not want him to be continually punished for it after serving his jail time. Personally I would like to see the NFL pass out lifetime suspensions to scumbags (Roethlisberger, Ray Lewis, and Pacman Jones) and convicted felons that embarass the game and their franchise, but since they don’t, I hope the convicted (either in court or in public opinion) come back and embrace the opportunity and succeed.
About that incident, he is not the one who committed the crime. However, people do judge you by who you associate with, and from that incident it seems some things still have not changed. It shows that he has a tendancy to find his old low life friends. I can only hope he stops, before his “luck” runs out again, or he will end up right back where he was 4 years ago.
really? So I’m a socialist because I think there are better issues to champion than this, that’s an interesting and completely incorrect take on your part. I’m not going to argue with you - you support the causes you want to (oh wait, did you actually give money to the cause, or just glad someone else did?)
And I’ll continue working within the private sector for the causes I think are important. Have a good day.
People who torture animals are sociopaths and likely have addictive personalities. They may be able to refrain from their twisted behavior but I don’t know if they can change who they are on the inside.
Excellent - this is making the rounds on all of the Dog Rescue groups......not good for zero.....
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