Animal Cruelty... A response

I just don't know where to begin.

First, I read Ravens Lament, Indigo's raging entry (rightfully so). She was writing in response to the federal indictment against Atlanta Falcons football player Michael Vick, who sponsored/ran a dog-fight operation on his property.

I am an animal-lover... I couldn't believe some of the things she said about this young football player/sports hero... not because she is a passionate advocate for animals/children/women, but because how could anyone do such a thing? Especially someone who is already living what many would consider a privileged life, a celebrity, and ultimately, a sports hero for children. I left her journal shocked that the sport is still thriving somewhere, and angry that someone young, healthy, intelligent,and athletic as this Michael Vick, who could do so much more with his life, has chosen to get his jollies from killing dogs.

Then, I read Russ's entry at Inner and Outer Demons... again, the anger and rage of someone who loves animals, someone who is caring for an aging animal... and he has written a response to the same horrid story. I do not follow sports news, but I had to check this story out, so I did a search. It didn't take long to find out what the indictment against this young man was all about. There is enough evidence to put his butt (and those of his associates) in prison.

I saw a video at YouTube, and thought at first to put it here, but it was too upsetting. Not anyone I know here would want to view it. But if you have never heard of dogfighting and cock-fighting, or don't understand the depth of cruelty that enrages us, here is the link to one short video (made by the Humane Society) that explains (graphically, but with compassion and factual information) the savageness of the sport. It's called Put An End to Animal Fighting: The final round.

Or watch the Pet Minute for a briefer version. There is a link to the video in the far right column on that page, where it says Watch the Video.

How could he (or anyone) do such a thing? What was he thinking? How does one grow up from a little boy, who probably had a pet or two, to become a talented athlete, who went to college, and became a highly paid football player for a popular team down south... how does one turn around, in the dark of the night, to do such evil to the most innocent of animals? How????

What kind of person enjoys watching animals fight to the death? I'm talking about penned animals... animals chained to their "dog houses"... animals bred, trained, and forced to fight. It's nothing like animals in the wild, where predator meets prey. That's a different kind of survival. I still have a hard time watching a lion bring down an antelope on a National Geographic video, even though I know that the lion has to eat. I feel sorry for the antelope. But dogs fighting dogs to the death... no it's not the same thing.

I look at my dogs' adoring faces... not just adorable... but adoring. They look at me like they adore me. I don't know if they really adore, but it looks like adoration to me. Their eyes follow my every move. They read my body language. They know when I am finished eating at the table before I even get up. They sense sadness, they sense joy... they express the same. They feel pain, and they have strong loyalty to us, their family. I can't imagine such a thing for them, or their distant cousins, the Pit Bulls, or for any breed of dog.

Where does this kind of thinking come from? Not just in regards to this one individual who has not even reached the maturity of a 30-year old man, but to all the people involved in this crime... especially the ones who run the operations? If no one ran dog-fights, there'd be no one to participate in them: no one to breed dogs to fight, no one to train the dogs to fight,no one to sponsor dog fights on their property, no one to place bets on them in the first place. At all levels, it has to be eradicated... at all levels, it is evil.

I'm guessing not anyone who reads this has anything to do with dogfighting. But it's possible that any one of us could someday hear of some suspicious activity. If so, you can help by contacting your local SPCA, Humane Society, and even the police. Here is a link to the Humane Society of the United States.

The good news is that on May 3rd of this year, President Bush signed the bill, H.R. 137, into law, which provides felony-level penalties for animal fighting activities. Which means if this guy Vick, and his co-horts are convicted, they could get up to six years in prison. For details of that report, click here.

I'm hoping that on the day Vick's team is scheduled to hit the field for training camp(July 25th or 26th), they will do it without Vick because, on that day, he will be appearing in federal court for a bond hearing.

The bond hearing is late in the afternoon. I wonder what his team managers and teammates will do that morning? Will they let him on the field for training? Wouldn't that be like showing your support for someone? I think they should not allow him on the field that day. 

Innocent til proven guilty? After having read the 18 page indictment, I think it's going to be difficult for him to prove his innocence .

 

Tags: cruelty to animals, Michael Vick, dog fighting