# Comeback for Most of Vick's Abused Pit Bulls



## apbtmom76 (Nov 4, 2008)

Comeback for most of Vick's abused pit bulls
By Amy Worden

Inquirer Staff Writer

From his controversial signing with the Eagles a year ago to his stunning and victorious ascension this week as the team's new starting quarterback, Michael Vick's postprison comeback has the sports world abuzz all over again.

But meanwhile, another comeback has been going on much more quietly as the canine victims of Vick's dogfighting ring - Sweet Jasmine, Handsome Dan, Jonnie Justice, and the dozens of other pit bulls seized from Vick's Virginia compound in 2007 - travel their own path of redemption.

Sports Illustrated senior editor Jim Gorant tells their story in a new book, The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick's Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption (Gotham, $26).

Surprisingly, 47 of the 51 dogs rescued from Vick's property survived, even though they were initially written off as unsalvageable even by some ardent animal-rights activists. The majority have become family pets, agility champions, and even therapy dogs.

Twenty-two of the dogs, the tougher cases, ended up at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah. Some have been adopted, and the sanctuary continues to work with the others on their "people and dog skills" with the goal of finding them good homes.

Gorant, who tells the story not only of Vick's dogs but of countless other neglected and abused pit bulls euthanized in crowded shelters across the nation, hopes to transform the public's perception of a maligned breed.

The book, an outgrowth of Gorant's popular 2008 Sports Illustrated cover story, rocketed to ninth place on the Amazon top-sellers list in its first week of publication two weeks ago (by Monday it had fallen to 66th). It was the top-selling title on Amazon among books on animal care and pets.

Gorant says he decided to pitch the article after seeing a newspaper item about efforts to save the Vick dogs.

"I followed the trial, but I never thought about the dogs," Gorant says in a phone interview. "What happened to them? Could you put fighting dogs with other people's dogs and children? I thought there was a really interesting backstory."

His cover story on Dec. 29, 2008, generated 488 letters and e-mails, more response than any other Sports Illustrated story that year.

A book deal was imminent.

Gorant, who was raised in northern New Jersey and attended Villanova, dove into research on dog behavior and genetics. He pored over court transcripts and interviewed an array of individuals involved in rescuing and rehabilitating the dogs, as well as the relative handful of law-enforcement officers who, by force of will, brought what would become the nation's most notorious dogfighting case to trial.

"A few less people with less dedication, and the sequence of events would have been different," Gorant said. "I learned how close it came to falling apart on numerous occasions."

Gorant said he had no access to Vick, but didn't mind since his story was really about the dogs and the people who helped them.

The book shifts focus chapter to chapter between the investigation, which revealed the torture, hanging, drowning, and electrocution of dogs that lost in the fighting ring, and the saga of the surviving dogs' rescue.

In August 2007, Vick, now 30, pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges in connection with running an interstate dogfighting ring and was sentenced to 26 months in prison. He served 18 months before being released in May 2009 and spending two more months under house arrest. He also admitted being involved in the torturing and killing of the dogs himself.

"What made the case interesting is that it was precedent-setting, the first time the court recognized dogs as victims," said Gorant. A federal judge ordered Vick to pay $1 million for the care of the dogs.

Gorant said he did not want to suggest that rehabilitating abused dogs was easy, but he did want to use the success stories to make the point that every dog in neglect and abuse cases should be evaluated separately.

"All dogs are individuals regardless of breed," said Gorant, who hopes his book helps redeem the image of the "bully breeds," known a century ago as the "nanny" dogs for their fierce loyalty and protective nature toward children.

Today, pit bulls are the dogs most likely to end up in shelters. In Philadelphia, more than 80 percent of dogs locked in cages at the Pennsylvania SPCA are pit bulls or pit-bull mixes.

"A lot of that has to do with who's breeding them and keeping them," said Gorant. "They are the dog of choice for irresponsible dog owners," people who are often just interested in having "a bad-ass dog."

Vick's arrival in Philadelphia in August 2009 stirred controversy and widespread anger from animal lovers stunned that the Eagles would sign an infamous abuser.

Fans sold off-season tickets, protesters picketed the stadium, and sporting-goods stores refused to sell Vick's No. 7 jersey.

Through it all, Vick's supporters, including Eagles president Joe Banner, defended him, saying he had expressed remorse for his misdeeds and deserved a second chance.

Vick's conviction hurt his standing with the public. He came in last among 198 athletes rated in the most recent national "Q scores," a ranking of celebrities and athletes published by Marketing Evaluations Inc., released at the beginning of September. Sixty-one percent of 1,800 people surveyed rated Vick as a fair or poor personality.

His teammates have been more forgiving. Last season they voted to present him the Ed Black Courage Award, given to one player from each NFL team and meant to honor notable sportsmanship and courage.

Wayne Pacelle, head of the Humane Society of the United States, said last week that Vick had been carrying out his commitment to speak to kids about the evils of dog fighting. Vick spoke to students twice a month last year and will do the same this school year, Pacelle said. He is scheduled to speak Tuesday at Imhotep Institute Charter High School, West Oak Lane.

Some of those who have spent the most time with Vick in recent months contend that no one has more ability to curb dog fighting and spread the message of animal kindness - particularly in the African American community - than Vick himself.

Vick told students in North Carolina in February that he was speaking out against dog fighting, "not only because it's the right thing to do but because I owe it to the animals I hurt."

Vick also has brought attention to the plight of pit bulls and other unwanted dogs who sit on death rows in area shelters.

Last year the PSPCA euthanized 4,360 dogs at its North Philadelphia shelter. Of those, a staggering 4,091 were pit bulls or pit bull mixes.

"In an odd way, Vick may be the best thing to happen to pit bulls," said Gorant.

Responding to the outcry from animal advocates last fall, the Eagles entered the animal-welfare business, creating a $500,000 grant program primarily directed toward reducing pet overpopulation and teaching humane treatment of animals to young people.

So far, $250,000 has been disbursed to 15 area groups for projects that include a low-cost spay/neuter clinic run by Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society in Grays Ferry, a mobile veterinary clinic operated by the Humane Society of Berks County, and an anti-dog fighting campaign run by the Humane Society of the United States.

"Mike does not want young men to make the same mistakes; he wants them to look at his mistakes and make different decisions," said Eagles spokeswoman Pamela Browner White.

"Young men have said to Mike, 'You represent all of us, that there's good in all of us.' Mike has gotten that message loud and clear."

Read more: Comeback for most of Vick's abused pit bulls | Philadelphia Inquirer | 09/28/2010 
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## Lex's Guardian (Aug 8, 2009)

Interesting read.

I heard rumor Vick started a Pit Bull rehabilitation, any propaganda as to whether or not this is true that you know of?


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## apbtmom76 (Nov 4, 2008)

LG, not sure but I will check into it.


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## duckyp0o77 (Dec 5, 2008)

i have a ques.. does anyone know where did vick got his dogs? & did he have a specific bloodline?


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## LEO0310 (Jul 23, 2010)

I read the book and it was a great and fast read. Very sad how they were treated and executed for not wanting to fight, made me want to find him and do the same to him. It was great to see that someone saw there was good in these dogs and the courts made him pay for the rehabilitation. 

Ducky the book said that very few of his dogs were pure APBT that the dna showed some to even have whippet and greyhound in them. Said most were staffie crosses. Not sure on the kennel he purchased from.


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## duckyp0o77 (Dec 5, 2008)

LEO0310 said:


> I read the book and it was a great and fast read. Very sad how they were treated and executed for not wanting to fight, made me want to find him and do the same to him. It was great to see that someone saw there was good in these dogs and the courts made him pay for the rehabilitation.
> 
> Ducky *the book said that very few of his dogs were pure APBT that the dna showed some to even have whippet and greyhound in them. Said most were staffie crosses. Not sure on the kennel he purchased from*.


see, thats the kinda ish right there that ruins this breed.. & then u got thug nasty wanna be's thinkin theyve got something goin on but are "uneducated". & thats whats killing the real apbt. ive seen this first hand back in east nashville more than a decade ago.. smdh


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## LEO0310 (Jul 23, 2010)

duckyp0o77 said:


> see, thats the kinda ish right there that ruins this breed.. & then u got thug nasty wanna be's thinkin theyve got something goin on but are "uneducated". & thats whats killing the real apbt. ive seen this first hand back in east nashville more than a decade ago.. smdh


Same thing I see here everyday. More and more cities are popping up with new BSL due this fact. I'm in W. TN, but it's the same reasons everywhere that are ruining the breed. The worst part is that these thug wanna be's put a picture in people's mind about apbt's that you will never be able to change.


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## ThaLadyPit (Oct 12, 2008)

LEO0310 said:


> Ducky *the book said that very few of his dogs were pure APBT that the dna showed some to even have whippet and greyhound in them.* Said most were staffie crosses. Not sure on the kennel he purchased from.


Please keep in mind that the DNA tests that are available are not 100% accurate. I know of a person who has definitive purebred APBTs who did the DNA test on one her dogs just for fun, and it came back saying the dog had Border Collie and another off the wall breed in it's blood. Said it was majority Border Collie, but there were no traces of APBT in the results. :hammer: Until they become more accurate, I wouldn't trust a DNA test on any breed of dog!


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## duckyp0o77 (Dec 5, 2008)

ThaLadyPit said:


> Please keep in mind that the DNA tests that are available are not 100% accurate. I know of a person who has definitive purebred APBTs who did the DNA test on one her dogs just for fun, and it came back saying the dog had Border Collie and another off the wall breed in it's blood. Said it was majority Border Collie, but there were no traces of APBT in the results. :hammer: Until they become more accurate, I wouldn't trust a DNA test on any breed of dog!


yes, but that doesnt change the fact that these low lifes will use any dog (or poorly bred) that barely resembles any bully style breed to "fight". & when you see it on the news its instilled in peoples minds and thats what they automatically think of.. so hence bsl for all bully breeds.. and maybe thats why some dont know what a real apbt looks like.


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## ThaLadyPit (Oct 12, 2008)

duckyp0o77 said:


> yes, but that doesnt change the fact that these low lifes will use any dog (or poorly bred) that barely resembles any bully style breed to "fight". & when you see it on the news its instilled in peoples minds and thats what they automatically think of.. so hence bsl for all bully breeds.. and maybe thats why some dont know what a real apbt looks like.


I understand that.. was just touching on the fact that Leo said the dogs had been DNA tested and showed they were mixes of different sorts. Wanted to make it clear that the DNA tests aren't reliable.


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## LEO0310 (Jul 23, 2010)

ThaLadyPit said:


> I understand that.. was just touching on the face that Leo said the dogs had been DNA tested and showed they were mixes of different sorts. Wanted to make it clear that the DNA tests aren't reliable.


I don't know anything at all about DNA testing in dogs, so I was letting ducky know what the book stated. I would think many breeds might have DNA tests come back with mixed results since they used other breeds to make a specific breed in the beginning? That wouldn't explain border collie showing up in an apbt test though.


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## duckyp0o77 (Dec 5, 2008)

ThaLadyPit said:


> I understand that.. was just touching on the face that Leo said the dogs had been DNA tested and showed they were mixes of different sorts. *Wanted to make it clear that the DNA tests aren't reliable*.


oh no i totally understand that. i was just goin off on the crap i was spewin' lol


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## ThaLadyPit (Oct 12, 2008)

LEO0310 said:


> I don't know anything at all about DNA testing in dogs, so I was letting ducky know what the book stated. I would think many breeds might have DNA tests come back with mixed results since they used other breeds to make a specific breed in the beginning? That wouldn't explain border collie showing up in an apbt test though.


Yeah, I don't know how the results came back with BC in em, but that's why I say they (DNA tests) aren't reliable in identifying the specific breed of a dog. I do know that you can DNA-P (profile) your dogs to prove that they're 100% what you say they are, but again, I don't trust the DNA tests. Just wanted to put that out there for everyone. Remember.. believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear!!


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## Pitbulldk (Nov 20, 2010)

Just finished reading the book...luckily it was so easy to read, that it was no problem even for a dumb dane like me...:woof:

People keep on saying "Vick has done his time", "he's a better man now", "he has regret and so on"...I'm sorry, I just don't believe that...after reading how he participated in the fighting and killing of some of the dogs, I am truly convinced that he is a psychopath....the only reason why he stood out in public with his lame excuses about "poor judgement" was to save his football career...

He's a great player, but I think it's wrong to let someone that evil be a rolemodel....


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## SuthernStyles (Nov 7, 2009)

duckyp0o77 said:


> i have a ques.. does anyone know where did vick got his dogs? & did he have a specific bloodline?


I believe they were actually Snooty, or some anyway.


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