michael vick dogfight bust
- THE SICK VICK FILES
- 2021: Frodo, Last Vick Survivor, Dies At 15
- 2012: Anniversary Of Evil
- Kinship Circle: My Talk With Michael Vick's Prosecutor
- History: Facts And Players In Michael Vick Case
- Aug 2009: Micahel Vick In The Land Of Second Chances
- Jul 2009: Welcome Home Michael Vick?
- 2023 - 2007: Vick In Bites › Anatomy Of A Dogfight Bust
1/20/11: Above, Ellen gets a hug from caregiver Michelle Logan. Below, fight scars mark the face of Lucas, the grand champion of NFL player Michael Vick's dogs. Ellen and Lucas are two of 13 pit bills slowly recovering at Best Friends Animal Society in Utah, a world away from their lives chained, beaten and forced to fight. AP Photos/Julie Jacobson, Michael Vick dogs: The long road to health and happiness
Uba
Jonny Justice
As that dog lay on the ground, fighting for air, Quanis Phillips grabbed its front legs and Michael Vick grabbed its back legs. They swung the dog over their head like a jump rope then slammed it to the ground. The first impact didn't kill it. So, Phillips and Vick slammed it again. The two men kept at it, alternating back and forth, pounding the creature against the ground until, at last, the little red dog was dead.
The Lost DogsJim Gorant, Senior Editor Sports Illustrated
2021 » Rest in valor Frodo, the last survivor from Michael Vick's dogfight operation. Sweet Frodo lives 15 years from 2006 to 12/18/21. His time in hell is eclipsed by his loving family. A 2007 raid at Michael Vick's Virginia compound uncovers 66 abused dogs, mostly Pit Bulls, and more dogs dead in two mass graves. Vick, then an Atlanta Falcons quarterback, manages a dogfight enterprise where winners are beaten for endurance. Losers are electrocuted, hanged, drowned, shot, bludgeoned. Four dogs die after rescue. But Frodo is among those who survive their trauma, for 14 more years “pampered like a prince.” BAD RAP, an Oakland-based rescue nonprofit instrumental in rehabilitation and advocacy for Vick dogs, recalls Frodo as: “One of the bravest survivors we've ever met. How we loved him.” During Frodo's final hours, he gobbles a big bag of steak “under the tears of his mama, Kim Ramirez and her daughter Dominique. Thank you Dr. Williams for tending to his medical needs until the end. He trusted you…”
BAD RAP fights against typecasting all Pit Bulls as dangerous. Even those born into cruelty deserve another chance. “Frodo was approx. 3-months old when seized by authorities, and then waited six long and damaging months in solitary confinement for rescue help,” the group notes. His new dog mom, Kim Ramierez, describes the dog's early demeanor in The Mercury News (2009): “Anything mechanical, the sound bothers him. We have ceiling fans at our house and he would become fixated on them, looking up at them with apprehension. If I opened a cabinet, he'd shy away. Or popcorn in the microwave. I don't know. Maybe the popcorn equates to gunshots for him.” Frodo symbolizes how patience and compassion can shape any animal's life. In the arms of love, Frodo evolves from timid and scared to loyal and confident. Near the end, his family walks him in a stroller when his legs weaken.
2019: Twelve years after authorities take dogs from Michael Vick's infamous dogfight compound — 13 are still alive in their second-chance homes. Seized at age 6, Uba leads a grand second life till his death in October 2021. Ubaduba first travels to BAD RAP where all adore him. Caregiver Tim Racer bonds with the sweet goofus. Listen to Racer's 5-minute Eulogy For Uba, a testament to resilience. Foster/adopt mom Letti de Little falls madly in love with the Party-In-A-Dog-Suit. She is by his side till the end. Jonny Justice dies only two days before Frodo passes. When rescued from Vick's Bad Newz Kennels in 2007, the black-white Pit Bull's future looks bleak. Until Chris Cohen and Jennifer Long give him a name and forever home. Jonny endures post-fight surgeries with grace and fortitude. In 2012 he wins Most Beautiful Dog and is immortalized in a Gund plush toy. ASPCA awards him Dog Of The Year in 2014. And in 2015 he becomes a library listener for kids learning to read. Till Jonny's death on 12/16/21, he lives as proof of the power of love. Despite unspeakable trauma, these dogs thrive. The rescues that nurture them debunk the pre-Vick policy to destroy former fight dogs.
2012 » 5 years after Bad Newz bust, does Vick-Dog precedent help dogfight victims? Five years ago a label emerges from the edge of horror: Vick Dogs. They are invisible until a taskforce enters Atlanta Falcon quarterback Michael Vick's property at 1915 Moonlight Road in April 2007. Law enforcers uncover 66 live dogs, 55 of whom are pit bulls, along with carcasses in a mass canine grave. The NFL superstar bankrolls an illegal dogfight operation, Bad Newz Kennels, from his estate. Court papers later show that Vick helps electrocute, hang and drown underperforming dogs. Vick's refugees, confiscated as living “property” of the U.S. government, occupy the nation's heart. Some rally for Vick himself, crying “race card.” But more just weep for the dogs. Michael Vick could be green for all we care. If you abuse Snoopy, we want to nail you. Months of litigation land Vick and his Bad Newz cohorts in prison. Justice served, sort of. Animal activists and lovers feel penalities
don't match torture inflicted. And what about the dogs’ future? A grim destiny awaits seized fight dogs. If they somehow survive life at the end of a short chain, gory drills and scrimmages, blood loss, shock, dehydration, infection, ears gnawed to bloody stubs and faces so cut up they cannot breathe — most are killed by their
“rescuers.” Pre-Vick, fight dogs are considered impossible to rehabilitate and almost always euthanized. Indeed from April to October 2007, Vick Dogs languish in Virginia pounds, caged in dark solitude until an anticipated court order to destroy them
arrives. Only Leo lucks out with a shelter eager to salvage a Vick Dog.
Perhaps their notoriety saves them. A landmark decision by U.S. District Court Judge Henry
Hudson lets the dogs live and relocate to no-kill rescue organizations that specialize in rehab for traumatized aggressive dogs. During the wait, BAD RAP — a California-based nonprofit formed to secure the future of the American Pit Bull Terrier as a cherished family companion — works with court-appointed Guardian-Special Master of the dogs, Professor Rebecca J. Huss, to deter doggie meltdown. BAD RAP writes that “Huss created safe passage for then volunteer Nicole Rattay to fly to Virginia and sit with every sheltered Vick Dog and offer comfort and measured enrichments. That basic care began over 6 months into their difficult wait. Most of the 10 dogs we [later] receive show post traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Many assume Vick's torture has damaged them. But post-seizure conditions take the heaviest toll on younger dogs from Bad Newz Kennels. Uba, Iggy, Frodo and even agility star Audie still need reassurances from adoptive guardians yers later.” Even so, stories have happy endings. Moreover, the animals and their heroic rehabilitators
prove that true mercy doesn't always require a euthanasia needle. Since Vick's bust, it's become commonplace for fight-abused dogs “to attract public support, kennel enrichment and aid during their legal wait,” BAD RAP notes. “District
Attorneys now have a pile of precedents to educate the courts and coordinate release to rescue. In some ways, saving a dog from a fight bust is an in-vogue badge of honor for
rescue groups, deservedly so.”
Zippy: Misery To Joy
Dogs In Lockdown
Hero Groups Save Vick Dogs
• Best Friends Animal Society
• The Richmond Animal League
• Georgia SPCA• SPCA Monterey County
• Out of the Pits
• Our Pack• Recycled Love
• Animal Rescue of Tidewater
• Animal Farm Foundation
While court-mandated euthanasia is no longer a given, some regions still rely on local laws laced with prejudcial language toward dogfight victims. Dogs held from a 2010 fight case at the Gadsden County, Florida Shelter literally “die at the feet” of BAD RAP volunteers. Indifference to the suffering of “just pit bulls,” causes BAD RAP to question whether these dogs have better odds with the dogfighter than the shelter. However, in 2011 Florida retracts a law that had dubbed all confiscated dogs as dangerous, based on the efforts of Ledy VanKavage Of Best Friends Animal Society. The Vick-Dog precedent helps educate courts of Richland County, Louisiana, where an unclear state law usually leaves fight-dog decisions up to an individual judge's opinion about dogs and Pit Bulls. At first, law enforcers reject BAD RAP's offer to help. But eventually Tallulah, Gris-Gris, Catfish Jones and Benny are released to their care. BAD RAP and National Animal Control Association agree that swift intervention is vital. Animal cruelty survivors ought to undergo immediate behavior evaluation, with support from rescue groups qualified to rehabilitate and transition them toward adoption. Americans love anniversaries. At the 5-year mark from history's most infamous dogfight bust, Vick Dogs continue to enlighten us. They reflect the worst in human greed and cruelty. They also signify a doorway to hope for more like them.
my chat with state prosecutor in michael vick dogfight case
Kinship Circle » Brenda Shoss gets VA Commonwealth Attorney on the line. And he wants to talk. Lots. As the Michael Vick dogfight case unfolds in federal court, with evidence of dog electrocutions, drownings, even pitching family pets into the ring, the global public is shocked over deal-making that could land the defendant less than 1 year prison time. Meanwhile, the state's case against Vick is hampered by withheld evidence and testimony. Federal prosecutors have sequestered evidence, including seized dogs, training treadmills, gear for “rolling” rings (staged contests to measure a dog's willingness to fight), fight sheds, etc. They've placed key witnesses under federal protection. Surry County DA Gerald Poindexter tells Kinship Circle director Brenda Shoss: “I don't know how to communicate with witnesses essential to my case.”
8/20/07: To confirm contact info for this alert, I phone the office of Gerald Poindexter, prosecutor in the state case against Michael Vick. I expect to speak to an admin assistant or go to voicemail. Instead, I get DA Poindexter himself. And he wants to vent. I'm surprised by his candor. Over the hour we speak, I come to represent the Vick-appalled public in a case that throws animal rights activists, civil rights activists, sports fans and dog lovers into heated debate. Everyone has a an opinion about Michael Vick, much of it shouted loudly. Mr. Poindexter wants anti-Vick voices to know: His office very much wants to prosecute Vick for dogfighting, animal cruelty and killing dogs (a felony in Virginia).
Mr. Poindexter has been inundated with hate mail from those who do not want Vick prosecuted and accuse him of “playing the race card.” He asks me to let you, the animal advocacy public, know:
Michael Vick's guilty plea and deal in federal court today does not effect the state's case in Surry County, Virginia. While Virginia has probable cause to believe crimes were committed and that Vick, plus 3 codefendants, can be convicted, the state is unable to complete its investigation. Why?
Main witnesses are in a protection program under federal jurisdiction. So the state of Virginia has no access to eyewitness testimony. Evidence gathered in Surry County, VA — including custody of 54 confiscated dogs, dogfight equipment, etc. — is relinquished to federal investigators. “They [federal agents] hold the upper hand in the sense I don't know how to communicate with witnesses essential to my case,” Mr. Poindexter tells me. “I am effectively at an impasse for physical evidence to build a case on. But, this won't last. I believe federal authorities will eventually cooperate and we will be able to proceed.”
players in vick case
The Defendant & Codefendants
Federal: Conspiracy in interstate commerce of animal fighting (Title 18 USC, Sec. 371).
State: Unlawfully torturing and killing dogs, promoting dogfights.
Animal Victims: 66 total dogs seized. 12 Pit Bulls killed.
Michael Dwayne Vick, 27, aka “Ookie” or “Ron Mexico”
Crime: Felony Dogfigting
Where: Smithfield, VA
Penalties: In the federal case, pleads guilty to dogfighting conspiracy and serves
21 months of 23-month sentence at Leavenworth, KS prison + 2 months home confinement. Fined $928,000 for care of seized dogs. In Surry County Circuit Court (state case) pleads guilty to 1 dogfighting count and given 3-year suspended sentence.
4/2007: A taskforce enters Atlanta Falcon quarterback Michael Vick's property at 1915 Moonlight Rd. Law enforcers uncover 3 structures with neglected dogs inside. Initially on-site for a drug search after Vick's cousin, Davon Boddie, submits the address in an arrest; investigators find 66 live dogs, 55 of whom are pit bulls, and 17 dead dogs. Vick allegedly runs a dogfight operation, Bad Newz Kennels, from his estate. Virginia Animal Fighting Taskforce is summoned to investigate illegal animal
fighting, a felony in Virginia with up to 5 years prison and $2,500 in fines. Vick shifts blame to relatives, stating that he doesn't occupy the home he owns. He later confesses to bankrolling Bad Newz Kennels and funding dogfight bets. Court papers show that Vick helps electrocute, hang or drown underperforming dogs.
Purnell Augusta Peace, 35, aka “P-Funk” or “Funk”
Crime: Felony Dogfigting
Where: Smithfield, VA
Penalties: 18 months in prison, 3 years probation, $250,000 fine.
Authorities say that in 2002, Vick and Peace buy approximately four pit bull puppies from an unidentified cooperating witness in Surry County, Virginia. He and Vick
also “roll” or “test” some of their dogs in short fights, according to legal notes. In 2002, the indictment says, Peace allegedly executes a dog who does not perform well. Peace is charged with conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce
in aid of unlawful activities and “to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture.” He is released from federal custody on January 6, 2009.
Quanis Lavell Phillips, 28, “Q”
Crime: Felony Dogfigting
Where: Smithfield, VA
Penalties: 21 months in prison, 3 years probation, $250,000 fine.
Quanis Phillips, along with Michael Vick and defendant Tony Taylor, purchase four pit bull puppies for approximately $1,000 in Sept, 2001 from someone in Williamsburg, per the indictment. In 2002, he allegedly executes at least one dog who does not perform well in a test fight. Phillips is charged with conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and “to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture.” Phillips gets more jail time due to failing a drug test as he awaits trial. He is released in Feb, 2009. In 2011, he goes back to jail for violating federal probation.
Tony Taylor, 34, aka “T”
Crime: Felony Dogfigting
Where: Smithfield, VA
Penalties: 2 months federal prison in Lewisburg, PA.
Tony Taylor finds the 1915 Moonlight Road property to house and train dogs for
illegal fights. Court papers claim he aids in purchase of four pit bulls in September 2001. In 2002, he executes at least 2 dogs who underperform in mock fights. Though
similarly charged with conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and for sponsoring a dog in an animal fighting venture, Taylor's cooperation with federal officials (which leads to Vick's conviction) earns him the lightest sentence. Taylor is first to plead guilty. He is released in 2008.
1 FEDERAL PROSECUTORS. Assistant U.S. attorneys Michael R. Gill and Brian L. Whisler represent U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Gill joins the Richmond office in 2005 after more than five years with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Dallas. Whisler joins the office in 2002 after serving as an assistant in the Western District of North Carolina from 1993 to 2002.
2 FEDERAL JUDGES. U.S. Magistrate Dennis W. Dohnal, 61, will conduct the bond hearing. A native of Cleveland, he is a graduate of the George Washington Law Center and came to Richmond as an assistant U.S. attorney in 1971. He entered private practice in 1974 and was appointed to bench in January 2000.
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson, 60, conducts arraignment. Hudson, a 1974 graduate of American University Law School, was assistant commonwealth attorney in Arlington from 1974-1979, assistant U.S. attorney 1978 to 1979, in private practice in 1979, 1991-1992, 1994-1998.
3 DEFENSE ATTORNEYS. Vick is represented by Lawrence Hunter Woodward Jr., 50, of Virginia Beach. A Radford native, Woodward is a 1982 graduate of the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond and is an experienced criminal trial lawyer. His firm's website says Woodward has negotiated endorsement and team contracts valued at hundreds of millions of dollars for NFL and NBA players and is certified as an agent with the NFL and NBA.
Peace is represented by Claire G. Cardwell, 49, of Richmond. Cardwell is a 1984 graduate of T.C. Williams School of Law at University of Richmond with extensive experience in criminal defense work in state and federal courts. She was in private practice 1984 to 1994 and chief deputy commonwealth attorney in Richmond 1994 to 2002.
Phillips is represented by Franklin Alex Swartz, 68, of Norfolk. Swartz is a native of Brooklyn, NY, and practices criminal and personal injury law. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1964. He was a captain in the Army from 1964 to 1966 and an assistant commonwealth's attorney in Norfolk from 1968 to 1970.
Phillips also is represented by Jeffrey A. Swartz, 45, a native of Charlottesville and a 1987 graduate of the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary. He has handled criminal cases in state and federal courts and is a former prosecutor in Norfolk.
Taylor is represented by Stephen Ashton Hudgins, 52, a Newport News native and 1981 graduate of T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond. He primarily practices criminal law in state/federal courts and has been in private practice his entire career.
4 STATE PROSECUTORS. The state of Virginia proceeds with separate charges from its own investigation. Virginia Commonwealth Attorney Gerald Poindexter told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that “yes, indeed, we will prosecute” Vick and others on possible animal cruelty and dogfighting charges, felonies in Virginia with animal cruelty charges holding penalties of up to five years in jail for each animal killed. “The execution of these animals, and the manner in which they were executed, is startlingly offensive and demanding of prosecution,” Poindexter told the newspaper.
SOURCE OF INFORMATION »
- www.pet-abuse.com
- www.inhumane.org/data/MVick.htm
- www.inrich.comy
- Vick likely to face state charges in alleged dogfighting ring
michael vick in the land of second chances
In the land of second chances, Michael Vick lives large. He acknowledges his role in “some terrible things,” even as he signs to play for the Philadelphia Eagles. A one-year deal with a second-year option. Oozing regret, he promises to “be part of the solution and not the problem.” What does that even mean? Somewhere, a publicist works overtime on brand bland, with nary a mention about killing dogs. I have never heard Michael Vick talk much about the dogs. Or what went through his head as he helped drown, hang, electrocute and bludgeon them. Is he sorry about the dog gasping for air while drowned? I wonder if he is haunted by a dog's terror just before electrocution. What does it feel like to twist flesh and bone until they snap? In fact, I'd love to know exactly what Michael Vick apologizes for: The brutal torture of individuals who happen to be dogs? Or getting caught? Does he repent for the lives he stole, or the promising career he sabotaged? Does he seek foregiveness for forcing dogs into death-fights, or for the shame he caused family and fans? A news story concludes: “Vick, who said he has no more pets, plans to actively work in the community and the humane society to prove he can help more animals than he's hurt.”
Here's the glitch: You can spin it, forget it, turn it backwards — but still land on sociopath. Michael Vick is still a predator. The day he breaks down beneath the unbearable weight of what he's actually done, I may believe he is capable of empathy. When he suffers night sweats and flashbacks, I may believe he is capable of compassion. Until then, I see a sociopath dressed in an NFL team jersey.
Michael Vick lives large after negotiating a Philadelphia Eagles deal with two-year option. Oozing regret, he pledges to “be part of the solution, not the problem.” I've never heard Vick talk much about the dogs. Or what went through his head as he helped drown, hang, electrocute and bludgeon them. Is he sorry about the dog gasping for air while drowned? Haunted by a dog's terror just before electrocution? Here's the glitch: You can spin it, forget it, turn it backwards, but still land on sociopath.
Michael Vick In The Land Of Second ChancesBrenda Shoss, Kinship Circle
welcome back michael vick?
welcome back vick?
Michael Vick completes a 23-month sentence for crimes associated with his dogfight ring, Bad Newz Kennels. Legally, Vick pays his debt to society for “conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and conspiracy to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting enterprise.” But Vick does not just fight dogs. He murders them. When dogs lose their game Vick and his Bad Newz cronies drown, strangle, hang, shoot and electrocute dogs. Think about it: How much brute force does it take to submerge a Pit Bull's head in a 5-gallon bucket of water until he drowns? The dog is brawny, trained to fight back, and frantic. Vick, Purnell Peace, and Quanis Phillips hold a dog's head underwater until his last breath. How long does it take to kill this way? Five, ten or more minutes?
Sometimes they slam a dog against the ground until dead. Only a sadist can hoist a heavy
animal, biting and kicking into the air and pound him over and over. Vick is consulted to kill one dog “by wetting the dog down with water and electrocuting the animal.” This requires planning. No simple gun shot to the head here. Instead, a
massive electrical jolt to induce excruciating heart attack. On occasion, Vick, Peace and Phillips noose dogs from trees on Vick's property. Those who survive strangulation (how many hours do they hang and choke?) are pulled down and plunged in water until dead.
Michael Vick now repents. He's even partnered with Humane Society of the United States to tackle urban dogfight rings run by the very youths who idolize him. National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell feels the love too. About a week after Vick's release, Goodell green-lights the quarterback's NFL reinstatement. That means Michael Vick is back, on a field close to you, as early as October 2009. Goodell writes to Vick: “I accept that you want to, and will, turn your life around, and that you intend to be a positive role model for others. I am prepared to offer you that opportunity. Whether you succeed is entirely in your hands.”
Michael Vick is guilty of more than bad choices. He took life. And while he may seek to turn his own around, those he killed get no second chances. So hand him a microphone. Sign him to the team. Still, you can't fix sociopath.
vick in bites › anatomy of a dogfight bust
2022 – 2023 » Once imprisoned dogfighter Michael Vick un-retires again, to play for Fan Controlled Football. Vick leaves the NFL in 2017 after six seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, five seasons (post-prison) for the Philadelphia Eagles, and two more seasons as backup for the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. In 2017 Vick announces he's done with football. But… he's back. The former star quarterback — who helped torture and kill dogs for Bad Newz Kennels, an illegal dogfighting operation he financed — joins Fan Controlled Football for its second season in 2022. FCF is a “professional 7-on-7 indoor football league in which fans vote on play calls and other in-game events.” FCF's 2023 season is cancelled due to financial strain, but the league hopes to return in 2024. No word, as of this writing, if Michael Vick will resume with FCF. Now age 43 (2023), Vick finds steady work since convicted on felony dogfighting charges in 2007. After serving 21 months in jail plus home confinement upon release, Vick's NFL suspension is lifted so he can play for the Philly Eagles in 2009. In 2010 he is dubbed Comeback Player of the Year. Six months after retiring from the NFL in 2017, Fox Broadcasting Company hires Vick as a studio analyst for NFL telecasts. In 2020 Vick becomes a Pro Bowl honorary captain, despite outcry from animal activists. His playing career includes four Pro Bowl games. In 2022 Vick is head of athletic development for Levels Sports Group, an athlete management firm. Though Vick declares bankruptcy amid lost endorsement deals during his dogfight-bust days, his 2023 estimated net worth is $16 million.
6/13/09 » Atlanta Falcons bid Michael Vick final farewell. Summary: Less than five years after the Atlanta
Falcons sign Michael Vick to a $130 million contract, the suspended quarterback is released in a 98-word statement. Vick is eligible to immediately sign with a team, though he has yet to be reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Goodell says he'll sit down with Vick after he completes his prison sentence on 7/20/09, FOX Sports. When law enforcers raid Vick's rural Virginia compound in 2007, they find a functional dogfighting enterprise. Police and Animal Control seize 66 dogs. The bodies of eight more dogs are exhumed from a mass grave. They discover a pit for fight contests and confiscate fight paraphernalia. A judge later orders Vick to pay almost $1 million for the rehab of traumatized dogs trained to fight to the death. Over the six years that Vick and his longtime friends manage Bad Newz Kennels, they breed, purchase, sell and fight Pit Bulls.
5/19/09 » HSUS and Michael Vick. Summary: Wayne Pacelle, chief executive of Humane Society of the United States breaks ranks with much of the animal rights community to forge a partnership with Michael Vick to eradicate dogfighting among youths. The HSUS position has nothing to do with endorsing Vick's return to football but rather, with finding a way to use his visibility to fight the scourge of dogfighting, which Pacelle says is gaining popularity with African-American and Hispanic teenagers in urban areas where HSUS conducts anti-dogfight initiatives. Humane Society Sees Vick As An Ally, Not A PariahWhy The Humane Society President Changed His Mind About Working With Michael Vick
Wayne Pacelle HSUS: “If we just punish Mike indefinitely and don't pivot to this problem in the communities, where kids are victimizing these dogs and then going down a dead-end street themselves — because there are no heroic dog fighters — we will not be doing our job. And I felt we needed to get involved and we needed to do some creative things to reach these kids. So that's why we have our community-based programs. And I am really hopeful that Mike sticks with this and reaches these kids because he can turn some of them around. I really do believe that.”
Michael Vick (at HSUS event): “I encourage you to love your animals. Whatever animals you have, whether a dog, a cat, a reptile, a horse. I encourage you to love that animal dearly and with all your heart.”
Wayne Pacelle: “You know, Michael is somebody who needs to continue to demonstrate a commitment to this issue. I told him we are not interested if this is a flash in the pan involvement… We estimate there are 40,000 professional dog fighters in the country and perhaps 100,000 street fighters. [This occurs] in every part of the country, rural and urban, white, black, Latino. It is an industry. People enjoy watching these animals compete and fight. They get excited by the bloodletting. They gamble on outcomes. The fights may last 10 minutes [or] three hours. Dogs die from shock, they die from blood loss. They suffer, if they survive, to maybe fight again. All for what?” Public Apology Central: Michael Vick
2/26/09 » Jailed dogfighter Michael Vick goes home in May? Summary: Michael Vick has been approved for release to home confinement, possibly as soon as 5/21/09 rather than originally scheduled for July. The NFL quarterback is serving a 23-month federal prison sentence in Leavenworth, Kansas, for his role in a dogfight operation at his home in Virginia. Vick would be on electronic monitoring and permitted to leave home only for activities his probation officer approves. He remains on NFL suspension. Commissioner Roger Goodell has to rule on Vick's eligibility to play. Vick is still under contract to the Atlanta Falcons but the team says it intends to trade him.
11/21/08 » Vick allegedly threw “family pets” in fight ring too. Summary: Michael Vick tossed family animals in fight rings with Pit Bulls, amused by the sight of trained killers wounding or killing helpless dogs. In a 17-page report filed 8/28/08 by U.S. Department of Agriculture case agent James Knorr and released under the Freedom of Information Act, “confidential witness No. 1” says Vick placed pets against abused Pit Bulls in the ring at least twice and watched as the Pit Bulls “caused major injuries.” to companion animals at Bad Newz Kennels. The USDA report notes: “Vick, [Purnell] Peace and [Quanis] Phillips thought it was funny to watch the Pit Bull dogs belonging to Bad Newz Kennels injure or kill the other dogs.” In Virginia facing state dogfighting charges, Vick's involvement revealedMichael Vick ‘30 for 30’ seeks to add context to his dogfighting saga
11/21/08 » Vick pleads guilty in state case, gets no-jail deal. Summary: Vick pleads guilty to a state dogfight charge in Virginia. Under plea agreement, he receives a 3-year suspended prison term and $2,500 fine for attending, sponsoring and participating in dogfights. A charge of
cruelty to animals with prejudice is dismissed. He also receives 4 years probation. State charges carry a maximum 10 year sentence. With his state case done, Vick is eligible for
Federal Bureau of Prisons re-entry program which could mean early release to a halfway house. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Leo, the lover
Georgia
Lucas
Little Red
Meryl
Cherry
6/18/08 » Vick dogfight referee is jailed + Leo has his day. Summary: Terry Kendrick, a sometimes referee for fights involving Michael Vick's dogfighting operation is sentenced to 3-1/2 years in prison, Leo the lover, not fighter: Rescued from heavy chains that confined him as part of NFL quarterback Michael Vick's dogfight ring, Leo now happily frolics in a clown collar as he brings comfort to cancer patients in chemotherapy at Camino Infusion
Center. Six months earlier, Leo might have been dead. When officers raid Vick's Bad Newz Kennels in Smithfield, VA, they find dogs chained to buried car axles, injured and scarred. Forensic experts discover remains of dogs shot with a .22-caliber pistol, electrocuted, drowned, hanged or slammed to the ground for lacking a desire to fight. Of 48 Pit Bulls seized, one is judged too aggressive toward humans and euthanized. Leo winds up with Marthina McClay, a certified trainer/counselor in Los Gatos, CA. McClay, who heads Pit Bull advocacy group Our Pack, says Leo “was like a caveman at a tea party. He didn't have a lot of training.” Cut to weeks of focused training later: Leo is a lamb who rests his head in patients’ laps. Paula Reed, oncology director, says “They really love his eyes and gentleness. Leo is a survivor and our patients are survivors, and I think they can relate to each other.” Beaten Down Dog From Vick Case Has His Day
Dec – Jan 2007 » The Dogs That Vick Hurt. Summary:
A quick survey of Georgia, a caramel-colored Pit Bull mix with cropped ears and soulful brown eyes, offers a road map to a difficult life. Her tongue juts from the left side of her mouth because her jaw, once broken, healed at an awkward angle. Her tail zigzags. Scars from puncture wounds on her face, legs and torso reveal that she was a fighter. Her misshapen, dangling teats show that she might have been such a successful, vicious competitor she was forcibly bred again and again. But there is one haunting sign that Georgia might have endured the most abuse of any of the 47 surviving Pit Bulls seized from the property of former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick: Georgia has no teeth. All 42 of them are pried from her mouth, most likely to ensure she couldn't harm male dogs during forced breeding. Ellen doesn't look like a top-fight dog. She wags her tail and gives kisses to anyone who greets her. But the deep scars on her face are permanent reminders of her violent past.
BAD RAP (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls) takes 10 Vick dogs, those “able to handle and survive the past with a good attitude,” says the nonprofit's executive director Donna Reynolds. Best Friends Animal Society gets the hard-case dogs, unmistakable fighters like Lucas. The stoic dog's face is a tapestry of scars. Courts order Lucas to spend the rest of his life at the sanctuary. But life at Best Friends — with soft beds, chew toys, healthy chow and round-clock care — is a far cry from days chained to buried car axles, scant water in algae-coated bowls, open wounds and rare meals. Little Red, one of the survivors at this sprawling sanctuary in the Utah canyons, is a small auburn girl. All her teeth are filed, a sign she was used as bait to train fighters. She is withdrawn. Loud sounds frighten her. But after a few years of attentive care, Little Red goes home with a Best Friends volunteer, Susan Weidel. The one-time bait dog thrives in the family pack, with five other dogs, until her death at 14-years old.
Rose is euthanized
Cherry is admitted to Best friends with chemical burns along his back. Though the black-white boy fancies car rides and backside rubs, he panics in new settings with unfamiliar people. In the documentary film The Champions, by Darcy Dennett, Cherry is described as so “paralyzed with fear, he literally can't walk.” Over two years, Best Friends caregivers work to “draw him out of the darkness… Cherry relearns how to trust and is truly unrecognizable from the the frightened pup he once was, happy and adored in a loving home.” All Vick dogs bear past trauma that plays out in odd, repetitive habits and fearful behavior. But most wear green collars, to indicate they're people-friendly. Except for Meryl, whose collar is red. “Meryl's fate was sealed when the nervous dog demonstrated fear-aggression and snapped at a handler during her court assessment,” according to bios about canine stars in The Champions. She is remanded to life at Best Friends, where she initially lunges and snaps at a veterinary technician. But over time, Meryl's fear-aggression gives way to adoration for her caregivers and fellow Vick dogs. As assistant dog care manager of Dogtown, an animal district with some 500 dogs at Best Friends’ 3,700-acre sanctuary, John Garcia has a soft spot for Pit Bulls who are reticent or people-aggressive. He says they're bred to be people-friendly and tells a New York Times interviewer: “With most of these dogs, even Meryl, their actions are based on fear. The biggest job we have with these guys is teaching them that it's O.K. to trust people. We won't give up on them.” Given Reprieve, NFL Star's Dogs Find Kindness
The tale of Rose rests in sorrow. In one of her last photos, she is shown with Berenice Clifford of Animal Farm Foundation before euthanasia. BAD RAP says Rose suffered terribly after seized from from Vick's property and sent to a court-appointed shelter. No veterinary care is administered for her internal injury (it remains unconfirmed whether she had a tumor, or something else). The interim neglect leads to a health crisis and Rose is euthanized shorty after released from impoundment. “Her face still haunts each of us who met her,” BAP writes in its blog piece Vick Dogs Five Years Post Seizure. Kennel environments for animals seized in cruelty cases are often substandard. Animals languish alone in cages as they await evaluations. Rather than move on to adoption and a better life, some are further traumatized in these holding facilities.
12/10/07 » Vick federal sentence: 23 months jail for dogfight crimes. Summary: Michael Vick is sentenced to prison for running a dogfight operation and will stay there longer than two codefendants, up to 23 months. The disgraced NFL star received a harsher sentence than others in the federal conspiracy case because of “less than truthful” statements about killing Pit Bulls. Dogs who fail to meet performance expectations are killed by electrocution, hanging, drowning, gun shots, neck-snapping and other violent means. U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson says evidence, including codefendant statements, shows Vick is directly involved. “He did more than fund it,” prosecutor Michael Gill says, referring to the Bad Newz Kennels dogfight operation. “He is in this thing up to his neck.” Associated Press
2007 » The fate of the fighting dogs. Summary: Of 48 remaining American Pit Bull Terriers in the Michael Vick civil forfeiture case, 47 are recommended for placement with rescue groups, with some eligible for future adoption by the public. Courts order one dog euthanized for aggression toward people and medical issues. Recommendations are made by Valparaiso University School of Law Professor Rebecca J. Huss, court appointed Guardian-Special Master of the dogs. The eight organizations are:
- Best Friends Animal Society › Kanab, Utah: 22 dogs
- BAD RAP › Oakland, California: 10 dogs
- Richmond Animal League › Richmond Virginia: 4 dogs
- Georgia S.P.C.A. › Suwanee, Georgia: 3 dogs
- SPCA of Monterey County › California: 3 dogs
- Recycled Love, Inc. › Baltimore, Maryland: 3 dogs
- Animal Rescue of Tidewater › Chesapeake, Virginia: 1 dog
- Our Pack, Inc: 1 dog
