Photo: HSUS
It was the most comprehensive dog fighting bust in U.S. history as law enforcement agencies from eight different states joined forces to raid multiple dog fighting operations on July 8, 2009. To date 30 people have been arrested and 400-plus dogs have been rescued.
The focus now needs to be on the uncertain future of the rescued pit bull dogs and the decisions the Humane Society of Missouri, who is sheltering the dogs, will make on their behalf.
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is already making some disparaging comments about the future of the dogs, even tough the group has agreed to evalute each of the dogs to determine if they can be rehabilitated.
Wayne Pacelle, the CEO of HSUS told the Associated Press, “If you have 15 or 20 dogs, it’s potentially manageable to evaluate and place those who pass the test. But when you’re talking about 450 dogs, it strains the capacity of the adoption network. Evaluation is just one part of it. The other question is do the new environments exist?”
Pacelle may be correct in that assumption. This raid occurred during a time when animal shelters and rescue groups are inundated with unwanted cats and dogs due to the slowdown in the economy and home foreclosures. The U.S. is already euthanizing 3.7 million pets because there are not enough homes.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) also worked on the raid. Their animal behaviorist, Randall Lockwood who helped evaluate Michael Vick’s dogs after they were taken into custody in 2007 was equally pessimistic. He believes there are more “fighters” in this group and that could mean fewer dogs saved.
But even with all of this negativity, the rescued pit bulls have a lot going in their favor. First, the public has seen the successful rehabilitation of the dogs seized from Michael Vick. In this case 51 dogs were seized and 47 were saved. All of these dogs have been rehabilitated and placed in new homes or in sanctuaries. In addition, two of the pits have become therapy dogs.
The heartbreak of Michael Vick’s dog fighting ring has given animal welfare organizations a new way to think about pit bull dogs raised to fight. Twenty-two of the most traumatized pits went to live at the Best Friends sanctuary in Utah. Ledy VanKavage is a lawyer for the group and he urges the HSUS to consider, “Not all dogs involved in dog fighting are aggressive. Some are breeders, others, bait.” “It just shows you that dogs are individuals.”
Even during this first week of their rescue it’s been reported that many of the dogs have been seen happily wagging their tails. It’s going to take some time to sort out the future of these canines and it may take help from the public to keep them safe.
The one thing these dogs do not have is a benefactor to pay for their upkeep and rehabilitation. In Michael Vick’s case he was ordered by the court to pay nearly $1 million for his dog’s care.
To help out, Petsmart Charities has sent their “Relief Waggin” with $60,000 worth of supplies and manpower. They’ve delivered crates, carriers, bowls and leashes. They have also supplied the Humane Society of Missouri with fans, a generator, tents and staff to set up an emergency shelter.
The public can also help save these innocent dogs with donations or by contributing much needed supplies. The Humane Society of Missouri lists ways to help on their website.
With public support, the pit bull dogs from this raid can be saved or at least given an unbiased chance to have a new start at life. Hopefully they will be seen as victims of a crime and not as aggressive monsters.
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Comments
I just hope they don't default to putting them all down, citing all the work that would be involved in saving them.
If a meaningful effort is put in, I suspect at least 400 of the 450 could be saved and find a new loving home.
What?! Put them ALL down! These are fighting dogs, not toy poodles! Why are we wasting time and money with these dogs bred to kill when so many others need homes, especially pit bulls. All that needs to happen is one of these dogs goes home and kills someone, then the entire nation is going to demand they all be banned. Let's be smart and save the ones we can - these are not it. Put them down, end the lines of these fighting dogs for good. I can't believe there is even a question about it.
Turkey-many of the Michael Vick dogs have been rehabilitated and re-homed and are living the lives they deserve as family pets. Just as humans, dogs are not born to kill, they are trained to do so. Sometimes after suffering unspeakable torture, they bite the abuser. Thanks to the media's overblown coverage of Pits when there is a bite or worse, few people know that the dog with a high bite record is the Golden Retriever...and small dogs bite most often but those injuries go unreported because their owners think it's "cute." Chained dogs bite often as well since they are protecting their territory.
I am confident that the safely adoptable dogs will be found loving homes and that those who are too far gone will be humanely euthanized.
What I got from this report is that law enforcement is finally closing in on this hideous blood "sport" and I hope it will send a clear message that civilized people entertain themselves through other avenues.
Look at dogsbite dot org
Only a naive fool (or a dog breeder) thinks that pit bulls are just like other dogs.
Also why should hundreds of thousands of dollars be spent on dogs that will still be dangerous, when that money could be spent on friiendly dogs and cats who will be euthanized for lack of homes? Or that money could be spent on spay and neuter programs?
Pit bulls are number one for killing people and pets, and many of the pit bulls that are doing this have never been abused or trained to fight.
Pit bulls do have problems. And the Michael Vick pit bulls live in isolation due to continued aggression at Best Fiends animal sanctuary, an organization that refuses to take pit bulls from their own state and also sent rescued Katrina pit bulls to die at a hoarders, Don Chambers, instead of bringing them to their sanctuary.
That's not "rehabilitation."
Several of the Vick pit bulls have also died while under the supposed care of these grou
In the article it states that 22 of Michael Vick's dogs are at Best Friends Sanctuary in Utah. That's not the same as being adopted into homes.
I hate to see any dog euthanized but our own local animal shelter kills every dog in the shelter on Monday mornings. We try to rescue the ones we can but our foster homes are full and last week we were unable to save a single life.
I have to agree with Turkey that mercifully euthanizing most if not all of the dogs confiscated in the raid is probably the best we can hope for - sadly.
Sharon, are you aware that Ledy VanKavage works with pit bull breeder groups that lie about the problems that pit bulls have to oppose regulation so they can go on breeding and abusing pit bulls?
Here's what Ledy VanKavage and Best Friends are up to, and they use the gullible to help with their agenda
bestfriendsinfo dot com
especially the pitbulls and financial section.
Lots of friendly dogs and cats are going to die because people like VanKavage are going to make sure that space is taken and money is consumed as they try to promote pit bulls.
Of the Vick pit bulls that Best Friends took, they killed several (one due to choking on a toy because it wasn't being monitored) and the rest live in isolation.
They may trot them out for photo ops and fundraising but these are still aggressive dogs, aggressive to both people and other pets.
Countless dollars are being spent harboring these Vick dogs while Best Friends turns away loving, homeless pets every day, and sends them to their local animal control to be euthanized.
As for the other Vick dogs, at least one got hit by a car and killed. As for "therapy dogs" that is a fabrication. Most insurance won't allow pit bulls into facilities because pit bulls do a lot of damage.
I wouldn't call this a waste of money. This is a former Vick dog. www.ourpack.org/leo.html
I have a friend in CA with two beautiful purebred Staffies which she has been training as therapy dogs - but no facility will allow her into their buildings. Like Jane, I have serious doubts about any Michael Vick dogs becoming actual therapy dogs.
amazing ... we have a decent follow up story about these dogs who are victims and yet there's still numerous, horridly bigoted statements here ... yet check this situation out and NONE OF THESE DOGS ARE PITS. No one's even paying attention to this situation - strange, I can't find mention of these dogs' breed anywhere in the media articles but finally found this link showing video of the dogs and that's the only way I could determine their breed:
www.wjbf.com/jbf/news/state_regional/georgia/article/2-year_old_dog_attack_victim_recovering/17065/
These dogs come from fighting blood lines. They are the cream of the crop of pits bred for excess aggression and "gameness". That means they fight to the death, theirs or their victims'. These dogs cannot and should not be saved for reasons of public safety. The highest percentage of human victims of pit bulls are children. Dog fighting is horrendous. Don't compound the horror by releasing these badly bred animals into unsuspecting communities. Most of the Vick dogs are kept in isolation because they are TOO AGGRESSIVE, just trotted out for photo ops so Best Friends can make more money. That's no kind of life for any dog. Give these animals a quick, merciful death.
I have some very close contacts in the pit bull rescue world and it's a not so hidden secret that so far 3 of the Vick dogs have, on 3 separate occassions, mauled another animal badly. Yea, what great examples of fighting dogs being rehabilitated.
Of course Best Friends will never tell the truth to the media about those maulings, nor will they address the issue of how they are keeping 22 of the dogs in solitary confinement because the animals are too aggressive to live with other dogs.
Jane sounds like that one hate-spewing woman with a case of the crazies (she's got some serious multiple-personality disorder issues).
You know, the nut-job behind the factually deficient "dogsbite" site.
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