It may be the case that Borzoi would never be used as gladiator dogs for many reasons. But the plight of dogs in general concerns anyone who appreciates the bond we have shared with dogs for 30,000 years. I was working at the Humane Society of the United States when Mr. Vick was arrested for his involvement in a dog fighting ring. Somehow the entire case was publicized as just that; famous athlete is involved in a blood sport. Quickly the spin off stories ranged between extreme animal rights activists who wanted to commit acts of torture on the man to sports fans who acknowledge that foot ball is just a watered down version of a dog pit. My office was scrambling to get in on the story for fund raising and noteriety as well as for the cause of animal rights.
Somehow the real story was lost. Mr. Vick admitted to electrocuting multiple dogs in his swimming pool using jumper cables. Just writing that sentence is shocking to me and I have made a career of investigated cases of animal cruelty. I imagine part of the reason the story was derailed so quickly was that the general public can't digest those facts. Perhaps people complained about the coverage? If readership or on line connecting drops off, the story dies. Can it really be true that readers would rather mouse click a story about football and sponsorship than the facts of the case, no matter how gruesome?
If those of us who care about the welfare of dogs don't follow up on this story, the dogs who died in that swimming pool have died in vain. This type of animal cruelty is rare but that does not excuse our not addressing it specifically and directly every time we hear of such a case. One of my colleagues teaches a course at Duquesne University about the link between interpersonal violence and animal cruelty, a topic extensively studied by Randall Lockwood of the ASPCA, Mary Lou Randour of Doris Day Animal League and sponsored by the American Humane Assocation. It's important that we all remember the link is real.
The connection does not show that children who wreck ant hills are destined to become serial killers, which I often hear cited. What it does show is that people capable of keeping dogs as "companions" who also torture those companions are at risk of commiting violence against other people. Addressing this issue is what the Vick case is about and should always have been about. It's not about dog fighting.
Let's try to stay on point.
http://www.bet.com/news/celebrities/2011/08/19/michael-vick-says-he-miss...
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