Michael Vick's former dogs being adopted

[skunkstripe]

Good news is starting to come out about these abused dogs. Some are being adopted out and are getting a second chance at life.
Hector -- one of about 50 pit bulls that were subjected to lives of cages, torture and violence on the estate of Michael Vick -- now enjoys a rhinestone collar, classical music, peanut butter chews and a loving foster home in California, according an Associated Press story about his transition.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/features/mutts/blog/2008/01/his_back_resting_comfortably_a.html

[sheplovr]

Yes, most are in fostering homes getting ready, saw them last night. Nice dogs but I would not want one here. Feel sorry for them, but they will see to it that special homes are found.

Funny how quiet he is not, news died off to these girls of college coming up missing and the marine killed.??

The dogs are doing great as I saw it and was happy to see how pitiful they look, so sad. Good for the dogs and Vick. He will never be anything again ans NFL will not want him...:)

[Python]

I hope these poor dogs now have kindness for the rest of their lives.

We heard about this over here in the UK too. As for Vicks, I hope that all the cruelty he has dished out to these dogs comes back to him three-fold:mad:

[skunkstripe]

I hope these poor dogs now have kindness for the rest of their lives.

We heard about this over here in the UK too. As for Vicks, I hope that all the cruelty he has dished out to these dogs comes back to him three-fold:mad:

Amen to that Python!

I found another news story with more detail. Some of it is a bit graphic but this part got to me:
The dogs, held as evidence in the criminal prosecutions, were taken to six different pounds and shelters in Virginia.

Hector was bunked in the Hanover pound in a cage below a dog named Uba who was smaller and showing anxiety.

Uba flattened on all fours when Tim Racer, an evaluator on a team assembled by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, arrived at his cage.

"Are you going to kill me now?" was the message another evaluator, Donna Reynolds, read in Uba's eyes.

The black-and-white dog tried to wriggle away once out of the cage, but he came around after a while. He wagged his tail when the team showed him a 4-foot doll, to test his response to children. He spun around and got into a play position when they brought out a dog.

"This is the big secret. Most of them were dog-tolerant to dog-social. It was completely opposite of what we were led to believe," Reynolds said.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/01/27/vick.dogs.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

[skunkstripe]

Here is a slide-show about the rehabiliation of these dogs. The fine print in the captions underneath the pictures is really interesting.
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/sports/20080202_VICK_FEATURE/index.html#section1
And here is the story to go with it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/02/sports/football/02vickdogs.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&hp

[melissa2007]

Im glad they are getting a second chance at life, they deserve it

[applesmom]

Little Red is a tiny rust-colored female whose teeth were filed, most likely because she was bait for the Bad Newz fighters. Handlers cannot explain why loud noises make her jumpy.
Cherry, a black-and-white male, has what seems to be chemical burns on his back. His file at Best Friends says he loves car rides and having his backside rubbed. But like many of Mr. Vick’s pit bulls, he is petrified of new situations and new people.
Oscar cowers in the corner of his run when strangers arrive. Shadow runs in circles. Black Bear pants so heavily that he seems on the verge of hyperventilation.
All but one of the Vick dogs at Best Friends wear green collars, signaling that they are good with people. But Meryl, who arrived with a rap sheet, wears a red collar.
She was aggressive toward the veterinary staff at a previous shelter. When Best Friends evaluated her in November, she lunged at a veterinary technician, snapping at him three times. By court order, she must stay at Best Friends forever.


The successful rehab rate for these kinds of dogs is unknown because nobody has ever studied it until now,” Dr. McMillan said. “You might see an incredibly friendly dog, but does that dog’s personality change over several weeks, over several months, after psychological trauma? Are they hard-wired to be aggressive, or can they change? What’s the best way to work with them?”
The plan is to determine how to keep these dogs happy, even if a real home is not in their future.




http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/02/sports/football/02vickdogs.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3&hp

In some of these cases I fail to see where the decision is in the best interests of the individual dogs. It's also painfully obvious IMO that this is an experimental undertaking financed by $928,073 and which is partially geared toward furthering donations as well as providing a profit making opportunity for the National Geographic Channel.:confused:

In spite of the fact that they will be kept on a 3,700 acre piece of property, with improved kennel conditions, they'll still be isolated in small kennel runs and frightened for the biggest part of each and every day for the rest of their lives. Each of these dogs has already endured a lifetime of misery followed by 8 stressful months in depressing shelters. As if that isn't enough suffering they're now going to be stressed more every day by efforts at rehabilitation which even the experts admit may cause even more mental damage.

None of these dogs are likely to ever see a life outside of a kennel situation and most will never overcome their neurotic behavior. They'll certainly never be any one's pet! They'll just be doomed to continue to exist while forced to live with their irrational fears and phobias. In my opinion this isn't humane treatment and in many cases it will be adding to the previous torture!

Though the dogs themselves are guiltless, prolonging the torture and sentencing them to a lifetime of confinement and isolation in a kennel run isn't a humane solution either. No matter how big the organization or how dedicated the caregivers, IMO there's nothing powerful enough or humane enough to improve quality of life for some of the worst cases.

[sheplovr]

Last night on FOX NEWS they had a white one with lil bit of black. They are bigtime foster parents of the bad breeds it is called. these dogs will be placed only in homes of people schooled to know the care of the Pitts and to caution carefully in care. It was a young dog, very ambitious also.

They had ten to foster that were doing well, did not fight yet, but was around it and on the property of vic. I hope he is reading in jail the proper way to care for dogs and not the fighting way. He surely has learned a lesson or will have??? Poor dogs. Look so pitiful looking for homes.:)

[Spicy_VV]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/02/sports/football/02vickdogs.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3&hp

In some of these cases I fail to see where the decision is in the best interests of the individual dogs. It's also painfully obvious IMO that this is an experimental undertaking financed by $928,073 and which is partially geared toward furthering donations as well as providing a profit making opportunity for the National Geographic Channel.:confused:

In spite of the fact that they will be kept on a 3,700 acre piece of property, with improved kennel conditions, they'll still be isolated in small kennel runs and frightened for the biggest part of each and every day for the rest of their lives. Each of these dogs has already endured a lifetime of misery followed by 8 stressful months in depressing shelters. As if that isn't enough suffering they're now going to be stressed more every day by efforts at rehabilitation which even the experts admit may cause even more mental damage.

None of these dogs are likely to ever see a life outside of a kennel situation and most will never overcome their neurotic behavior. They'll certainly never be any one's pet! They'll just be doomed to continue to exist while forced to live with their irrational fears and phobias. In my opinion this isn't humane treatment and in many cases it will be adding to the previous torture!

Though the dogs themselves are guiltless, prolonging the torture and sentencing them to a lifetime of confinement and isolation in a kennel run isn't a humane solution either. No matter how big the organization or how dedicated the caregivers, IMO there's nothing powerful enough or humane enough to improve quality of life for some of the worst cases.

I wonder if that dogs teeth were actually filed down or not. :confused: I think they are just assuming. I've had a couple dogs who's teeth would look like they were filed, one who pretty much just had gums and the other the teeth were flat. One also got into a fight at someone else house and he still hurt the other dog just as bad as he was injured and the other dog was bigger then him too, :( but he came out ok. :) He would not be a good bait dog but only had flat worn teeth. The dog in my avatar actually barely has teeth left which has hurt his show career dearly. I never filed any of their teeth for any reason, they wear them down. Pit Bulls can be very hard keepers and destructive.

I do agree. The one was aggressive towards the vet staff? What is the reason not to PTS that dog? The ones that have done well and are in foster care should all be fine, ones that are human aggressive or have a serious issue should likely be PTS. I'm not saying I don't believe in rehab but at the same time this doesn't sound promising, sounds like they are just keeping the dogs alive in their own interest.

Some dogs can be brought out of fearfulness, we just took one of our females to the vet (on Friday) and she did ok, much better and seems to keep getting better, progressing. If she had only been fought then that wouldn't be a problem (temperament wise), while she was fought and neglected (starved, full of parasites, sick) the main problem is she was beat, very badly and was extremely distrustful of strangers. She would cower, she would hide (like that dog which cowers and goes to a corner of the kennel) she really was distrusting and scared. Now she has come a long way, she doesn't instantly hide, she will even meet some strangers, yes she is cautious and not typical happy go lucky let me slobber on you Pit Bull but she is only weary now just taking her time to come to someone new. At the vet for instance instead of cowering down, trying to hide, tuck her tail or be less noticed she just stood there and took her examination, petting, walked through the waiting room fine, ect like a calm dog. Most people probably wouldn't think she has any type of problem, just think she is a calm behaved dog, but it is typical and correct for Pits to be more happy and outgoing, wagging their tail, wanting to lick or get attention from vet staff or whoever. She just remains calm, doesn't wag her tail but doesn't tuck it, doesn't react in fear or freak out. Dogs can be rehabbed from fear and lack of socialization, it just takes a lot of time and patience, with an adult dog it is harder, especially overcoming bad life experience (socialization is important anyway but add being severally beaten multi times makes it worse) but it can work if you take the time.

[staffilover]

i've seen some wonderful videos of vicks dogs in their new homes i'll find them and post them. i cryed with joy.