Well, it seems that Michael Vick the quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons is also what is called a “dogman”. A dogman is somebody who likes to fight dogs. Dog fights are brutal affairs. The dogs are fought until one of the dog scratches (refuses to fight) or one of the dogs is dead. The injuries that these dogs suffer are appalling.
[I’ve moved the image of Gypsy the dog who was on the losing end of a dog fight below the fold. It is a very disturbing picture, but it shows how barbaric dog fighting is. If you are squeamish, don’t click to see more.]
That a person can think this “sport” is entertaining speaks of unbelievable cruelty. To bet on this kind of sport, house over 60 dogs in horrible conditions simply re-enforces my view that the people involved in this activity are some of the lowest people in our society.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was at a dog fight in 2000 and is “one of the heavyweights” in the sport, ESPN reported. The network Sunday cited a police informant whom a dog-fighting investigator called “extremely reliable.”
“That’s who bets a large dollar,” the informant said on the show “Outside the Lines.” “And they have the money to bet large money. As I’m talking about large money, 30 to 40 thousand, even higher. He’s one of the heavyweights.”
When asked how he knows Vick bets that amount, the informant said, “because I’ve seen it.”
In fairness nothing has been proven against Vick, other than property he owned had 66 dogs, 55 of them pit bulls, equipment often associated with triaining dogs to fight, and even a pit where dogs could have fought. He might be some ignorant fool who is going to bear the brunt of this horrible news. I find this possibility unlikley though, and if turns out that Vick was/is into dog fighting, I hope his life becomes a living Hell.
More here.
Warning: The following picture is rather graphic. It displays a dog that was on the losing end of a dog fight. The dog no longer has any ears, one of its forelegs had to be amputated, and its face is a mass of wounds along with a startling number of drainage tubes. The point of the picture is to show the burtality that goes with dog fighting. It is a horrible, horrible activity and in regards to the people who take part in it…let me just say, I fully support euthanasia of animals that are unsound.
Update: Vick’s claims of never having been to the Virginia property are made more dubious by the following items. First, he recieved mail there, and local residents noted that Vick bought syringes there. The latter could be related to dog fighting in that dog fighters will often take care of the injuries a winning dog sustains. Some dogmen will inject their dogs with things like vitamin K before a fight to promote blood clotting (fights can on a long time, and a dog losing due to blood loss is clearly not desirable). Also, after a fight the dogman might inject his dogs with antibiotics. You can’t take your dog to the local vet since if dog fighting is illegal he might report you to the authorities.
Can we say, “Suspension”?
Another Update: Whoopsies. Now the story is that Vick’s involvment with dog fighting was well known inside the Falcon’s orgainization and that Vick’s recruited others into dog fighting as well.
Also, the rumor is that the Falcon’s are getting ready for a 6 game suspension.
Update III: For those of you who saw the picture below the fold and wondered what happened to poor gypsy, click here to see how well she did. It just goes to show what an amazingly stable nature of the American Pit Bull Terrier. That a dog can go through something that horrific and still come out of it a happy go lucky dog…well actually her new owner says she is a bit of a spoiled brat.
