One of the dog's seized from Michael Vick's dogfighting ring is now working as a therapy dog in California, bringing comfort to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Leo -- a pit bull who was chained and trained to kill as one of the former NFL quarterback's dogs -- now makes the rounds at the Camino Infusion Center, as you can see in this MSNBC report.

The transition took about five weeks.

“He is wonderful, and all the patients love Leo,” said Paula Reed, the facility’s oncology director. “They really love his eyes and gentleness.”

Leo was among the dogs seized when officers raided Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels in Smithfield, Va., last year. They found dogs, some injured and scarred, chained to buried car axles. Forensic experts discovered remains of dogs that had been shot with a .22-caliber pistol, electrocuted, drowned, hanged or slammed to the ground for lacking a desire to fight.

Continue reading "From Vick dog to therapy dog" »

Posted by John Woestendiek at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
                    

 <

Happy Valentine's Day

to the 47 dogs that survived

All the dogs pictured here were once were part

of Michael Vick's illegal dogfighting operation in Virginia.

What's happened to them since -- between the work of the courts,

the outpouring of public support, the efforts of the eight rescue groups

that took them in and the nurturing foster parents helping to rehabilitate them --

may be the greatest love story of the year.

If you'd like to send a Valentine's Day greeting to them, they can be reached through the following organizations:

Best Friends Animal Society, 5001 Angel Canyon Road
Kanab, UT 84741-5000

Recycled Love, P.O. Box 6476, Baltimore, MD 21230 

Animal Rescue of Tidewater, PO Box 11535, Norfolk, VA 23517

Our Pack, 708 Blossom Hill Road, #128
Los Gatos, CA 95032

SPCA of Monterey County, 1002 Salinas Highway, Monterey. CA 93940

BAD RAP (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls), PO Box 320776, San Francisco, CA 94132

Richmond Animal League, 11401 International Drive, Richmond, VA 23236

Georgia SPCA, 1175 Highway 23, Suite 109, Suwanee, GA 30024

(Photos courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
                    

Daisy and Lily -- two of the three Michael Vick dogs that ended up in Maryland -- are now Sweet Jasmine and Sweet Pea, and they've come a long way since they were turned over to the Baltimore-based rescue organization Recycled Love.

The dogs were completely “shut down” when the organization received them from Washington Animal Rescue League, where they lived for six weeks after being seized from Vick's estate in Virginia.

Foster mom Catalina Stirling says Jasmine had to be carried out to the back yard, because she could not be leashed. Now a routine has been established for the two girls, and they are taken, along with Stirling's own dog, on two-hour walks daily. Stirling said they will soon be attending obedience school.

“They have proven that they have life in them and that they want to love. Whatever happened to them in the past is over," Stirling said. "They just like to move forward.”

A third Vick dog spent six weeks at Animal Farm Foundation, where she was originally so fearful she would move by crawling on her belly, before coming to Recycled Love. The organization is keeping the location of that dog private.

To catch up with all the Vick dogs, read this excellent article by Jennifer Hayes, a member of the staff of Best Friends Animal Society in Utah -- where 22 Vick dogs now live.

(Photos courtesy of Catalina Stirling and Best Friends)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
                    

Michael Vick, and in more ways than one.

In addition to serving a 23-month sentence for his role in the dogfighting ring operating on his 15-acre Virginia property, the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback was ordered to pay almost $1 million for the care of the dogs.

(On top of that, Vick faces an April 2 trial in Virginia on state dog-fighting charges.)

Most rescue groups received $5,000 per adoptable dog, according to a story on National Geographic's website.

Best Friends, the Utah animal sanctuary that allowed the media access to the dogs yesterday, received $18,275 per dog, because the 22 animals it received were the toughest cases and, it was thought, would spend a lot of time -- in some cases the rest of their lives -- there.

The other non-profit animal rescue organizations to which the federal court sent Vick's dogs -- all of which depend at least in part on public donations -- are Animal Rescue of Tidewater in Chesapeake, Virginia; BAD RAP in Oakland, California; Georgia SPCA in Suwanee; Our Pack in San Francisco; Richmond Animal League in Virginia; SPCA of Monterey County in California; and Recycled Love, Inc. in Baltimore.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 6:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

This video of Michael Vick's dogs, "B-Roll" filmed by the National Geographic Channel, provides a behind the scenes look at how the dogs seized from the former NFL quarterback's dogfighting ring are readjusting to a kinder and gentler life at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah.

It was provided to the Mutts blog by Best Friends, and is used with the permission of National Geographic.

You'll see some of it again this summer (if you have Comcast digital cable) when the National Geographic Channel airs a segment of its new series Dogtown that will be devoted to the 22 pitbull type dogs that the federal courts sent to Best Friends.

Dogtown focuses on the stories of the canines who have come to live at Best Friends.

The Vick dogs at Best Friends were among 47 survivors of the dogfighting ring that operated out of Vick's Virginia estate.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

Best Friends Animal Society released these photos today of some of the 22 Michael Vick dogs that are being cared for by the animal sanctuary. That's Little Red above, looking like she managed to outlast her caretaker.

Suddenly, they don't look so vicious, do they?

All these photos were taken for Best Friends by Molly Wald, and they are reprinted here with the permission of Best Friends Animal Society. The society introduced the Vick dogs to the public for the first time at a press conference today at its sanctuary in southern Utah.

Vick dogs have been at Best Friends for almost a month, where they are receiving individualized attention aimed at socializing them and negating the effects of the time they spent in the former NFL quarterback's dogfighting operation in Virginia.

While some will live out their lives at the sanctuary; others are expected to be put up for adoption. Until then, they are enjoying good food, lots of exercise, and much attention in an effort to move them beyond their haunting past.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 4:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
                    

Tug gets his name because that's his favorite thing to do, say his new caretakers at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

"He may have been a fighting dog, but when Tug arrived at the sanctuary, he didn't want to hurt anybody; he just didn't want anybody to hurt him. He's still afraid of loud noises and camera flashes," Best Friends says in its introduction to Tug, published on its website today.

Tug is one of the 22 dogs who came to Best Friends from the estate of former NFL quarterback, Michael Vick.

Best Friends allowed the news media to meet the dogs for the first time today.

Caregivers take him for walks with an "easy walk harness" that keeps him from pulling them down the road, and they're looking into a scooter wagon so he can actually pull his caregivers on rides, the organization said.

To read more about Tug, or sponsor him, click here.

(Photo courtesy of Best Friends)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Little Red arrived at Best Friends with her face covered in scars, and her teeth filed down -- an indication that she was used as a "bait dog" in former NFL quarterback Michael Vick's dogfighting operation.

Dogs that seem less tough and aggressive are often turned into bait dogs, used by fighting dogs for what amounts to little more than target practice.

She's one of the 22 Vick dogs sent to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. The "Vicktory Dogs," were introduced to the news media today.

Little Red arrived at Best Friends scared of everybody, Best Friends reported on its website today: "If you walked up to her, she would quickly scurry away in fear. But then, after just a few weeks at the sanctuary, something incredible happened. Little Red smiled. She actually smiled ... Now, when she sees her caregivers coming, she runs toward them instead of away."

If you're interested in sponsoring Little Red, click here

                                                                                                (Photo courtesy of Best Friends)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 2:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

(Photo courtesy of Best Friends)

Today, the blinders come off, and the 22 pit bulls at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary -- seized from Michael Vick's dogfighting operation and kept under wraps in accordance with court orders -- will meet the press.

Stay tuned -- we'll do our best to bring you the news as it unfolds in Kanab, Utah.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

Baltimore Sun Photo by Algerina Perna

Like Hector in northern California, Daisy and Lili -- two more of the dogs seized from the dogfighting operation of Michael Vick -- have settled comfortably into a foster home in Western Maryland.

As Matt Dolan reports in today's Sun, the dogs arrived last month at the home of Catalina Stirling, a longtime animal advocate, and are still shaking off their traumatic experience.

The two -- that's Daisy in the photo above with her new foster family -- are among three Vick dogs the federal courts turned over to the Baltimore rescue organization Recycled Love. The third remains in foster care in the Baltimore area.

Lili was so skittish that Stirling spent days trying to persuade the dog to go on a walk, but now the strolls outside are the brightest part of her days, said Stirling.

She and her husband have two young children, but said they had no qualms about taking in Daisy and Lili after meeting them in a Washington shelter.

The pit bulls, she said, are kept in a finished basement in the home with ample time for play in the family's backyard and two long walks a day in the neighborhood. The family has two other dogs, including a blind cocker spaniel.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

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.

The 52-pound dog, who still bears scars from his previous life, is shown here at his new home -- that of Leslie Nuccio's and her roommate, Danielle White and their three other dogs.

"I wish he could let us know what happened to him," Nuccio, the big tan dog's foster mother said of the dog seized from the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback's Bad Newz Kennels.

Vick is serving a 23-month federal sentence after admitting he bankrolled the dogfighting operation and helped kill at least six dogs. Three co-defendants also pleaded guilty and were sentenced. The four now face state animal cruelty charges.

The last of them, Oscar Allen, who sold a champion pit bull to Vick's dogfighting operation, was sentenced Friday on a federal dogfighting charge. With that, the gag order that was keeping publicity about the dogs under wraps was lifted -- so you can expect media coverage about them throughout the week.

Nearly half have been sent to a Utah sanctuary, Best Friends Animal Society, where the media has been invited to see them later this week. The rest went to several other groups, including Recycled Love in Baltimore. As part of his plea deal, Vick agreed to pay for the dogs' care.

Hector was one of the Vick dogs taken by a pit bull rescue and education group in Oakland, California called Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pit Bulls, or BAD RAP.

The AP story says Hector is settling into his new life, and getting further and further from his past. Weekly "canine good citizen" classes are correcting his social ineptitude. And he's taking cues on good manners from patient Pandora, a female pit bull mix who's queen of the household's dogs. Once Hector graduates, he'll take classes to become a certified therapy dog. 

Posted by John Woestendiek at 3:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
                    

Michael Vick's dogs are scheduled to  meet the public (or at least the news media) 10 days from now in Utah, when Best Friends Animal Sanctuary allows the dogs to be photographed for the first time since they were seized.

I'm predicting you'll end up seeing this on network news, and everywhere else, in light of the interest among dog lovers in the dogs mistreated in a dogfighting ring operated by the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback.

Up to now, because of pending cases against some of the others accused in the ring, there has been no access to the dogs, and the agencies across the country that are caring for them, including Recycled Love in Baltimore, have been limited by the courts in what they can say about the dogs.

But in Kanab, Utah a week from Monday, the 30,000-acre animal sanctuary (pictured here in a Best Friends photo) will, for the first time, allow photographs of Vick's victims and interviews with their caretakers.

Best Friends, chosen by a court-appointed expert to care for 22 of the 47 fighting dogs seized from Vick's property in Virginia, was preparing to receive the dogs when we visited last month. On Friday, they announced the upcoming media event. 

"These dogs are learning a new way of life: playing, eating, sleeping and receiving belly rubs at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the nation’s largest no-kill animal rescue facility," the non-profit organization said in a news media advisory.

The organization will also use the opportunity to promote the new National Geographic Channel  series "Dogtown,” which documents the individual stories of some of the dogs living at Best Friends, the nation's largest no kill animal sanctuary.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

It was back on Dec. 17 when one of our regular readers, after reading a blog item about Michael Vick's property in Virginia, came up with an idea that oozed poetic justice -- turning the up-for-auction estate in Surry County into a haven for homeless dogs.

It now appears there's a group trying to do just that.

Jalie's Butterflies, a recently formed non-profit that describes its mission as helping those "mired in the pain of change," says it has raised more than $11,000 in donations to buy the estate.

In the event the purchase doesn't come to pass, all money raised will be donated to the ASPCA, the organization says.

"The Vick House Project is an opportunity to make a good ending to a sad story," the organization says on its web site thevickhouse.org.

".... This is a chance to give back to the spirit of the animals that were harmed. It is a chance for animal lovers to contribute to a noble cause. It is a chance to create a happy final chapter to a sordid and tragic tale."

Speaking of Michael Vick's dogs, don't miss today's story in the Sun on the three Michael Vick dogs now being cared for by the Baltimore rescue organization, Recycled Love.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
                    

                                                                                                  Photo courtesy of Best Friends

No matter what angle you approach it from, the story of Best Friends Animal Society is a miraculous one.

Originally founded in 1984 by a group of friends who had come together as do-gooding hippies in the 1960s to start and celebrate their own religion -- it has evolved into one of the world's largest, busiest and most influential animal rights organizations.

Based in Kanab, Utah, the organization's animal sanctuary lies on 30.000 acres and, on any given day, is home to 1,500 to 2,000 animals, the most recent arrivals of which are 22 of the dogs Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick used in a dogfighting operation at his estate in Virginia.

And that's just the latest high-profile outreach effort by the organization, which was the first national group to arrive, and the last to leave after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.

Best Friends workers and volunteers -- all part of an ever-expanding nationwide network -- spent 249 days there and rescued and transported more than 6,000 stranded animals.

Efforts like that, and publicity about them, have led to skyrocketing public donations -- they topped $32 million last year -- that allow the organization to pursue its mission of creating a better world through kindness to animals.

The sanctuary, nestled amid the red rocks of southern Utah, is the nation's largest -- home to not just thousands of dogs and cats, but burros, horses, goats, sheep, rabbits and birds.

About 75 percent of those animals end up getting adopted. Those that don't -- those too olds, sick, traumatized or handicapped -- are allowed to live out their lives at the sanctuary.

Each one that dies gets a full funeral service at the sanctuary's cemetery, Angel's Rest, which backs up a sharply rising rock wall and is dotted with wind chimes.

On a tour last month, Barbara Williamson, media relations manager for Best Friends, told me that at every funeral -- whether the wind is blowing or not -- the chimes begin to tinkle.

Best Friends has rescued animals left homeless by war in Lebanon, floods in Mexico, and earthquakes in Peru, and it has become a leader in the no-kill movement. It helped spearhead Utah's No More Homeless Pets, a coalition formed to halt the euthanasia of dogs and cats in shelters.

Best Friends also publishes the bimonthly Best Friends magazine, which reaches 250,000 readers.

The work of Best Friends is also being featured in a new National Geographic Channel program, Dogtown.

Three episodes have been produced, with the remaining two scheduled for Jan. 11 and 18. If the series proves successful, additional episodes will be produced and broadcast.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 7:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

Twenty-two of Michael Vick's dogs, all bred to fight, will soon be learning how not to at Best Friends Animal Society's sanctuary in southern Utah.

The dogs arrived at the sanctuary in Kanab on Jan. 2 after a cross-country flight on a chartered plane, and the Best Friends web site reports that they have undergone a series of health and behavior assessments that will continue in the coming months.

"Before you get too excited, or want to come for a visit, or even offer a forever home for one of these dogs … you’re going to have to be a little patient," the web site advised. "First, the prosecution of defendants in the Vick case won’t be completed until January 25, and Best Friends is working closely with prosecutors to make sure there is no publicity that might compromise the legal proceedings. So, while the media, the movement and Best Friends supporters all want to know about these dogs, we can’t say too much about them until the final sentencing."

In the weeks before the dogs’ arrival, Best Friends’ maintenance crew prepared secure, comfortable homes for the dogs, upgrading enclosures and fencing large, open play areas, the website reported. Each dog will have his or her own 10-foot by 20-foot outdoor run and an indoor space for shelter.

“Until we get to know these dogs, we will have some supervised play dates,” says Michelle Besmehn, Best Friends’ dog care manager. “Eventually we may try and pair some of the dogs. Pits tend to be very loving and affectionate dogs. They are smart and very athletic. It can be a lot of fun working with them.”

“The pit bull is easily the most misunderstood breed of dog in the U.S.," Best Friends CEO Paul Berry is quoted as saying on the web site. "Unfortunately, it is the very loving and loyal nature of these dogs that makes them prone to exploitation.”

Best Friends says it wants to be sure the “celebrity” animals are never exploited again.

Best Friends was one of eight rescue organizations to which the courts referred the fighting dogs found on the Virginia estate of the former Atlanta Falcon quarterback.

The others are and Recycled Love in Baltimore (three dogs); BAD RAP, Oakland, Calif. (10 dogs); Richmond Animal League, Richmond, Va., (4 dogs); Georgia S.P.C.A., Suwanee, Ga..; (3 dogs); SPCA of Monterey County, Calif.; (3 dogs); Animal Rescue of Tidewater, Chesapeake, Va..; (1 dog); and Our Pack, Inc. (1 dog).

Twelve other dogs on the Vick property -- none of which were believed to have been used for fighting -- were turned over to the SPCA in Virginia Beach. Some of those dogs, which included nine beagles and two Rottweilers, can be seen in this ESPN report, which aired last month.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

Twenty-two of the pit bulls seized from suspended NFL quarterback Michael Vick's dogfighting operation left Virginia today for a new home at Best Friends Animal Society in Utah, the Associated Press reported.

The animals – among 47 surviving dogs -- took off from Richmond International Airport this morning on board a private chartered plane to the no-kill sanctuary in Kanab, Utah.

The dogs are being sent to eight rescue organizations across the country, including Recycled Love in Baltimore. The organizations were recommended by the dogs' court-appointed guardian, animal law expert Rebecca Huss, and approved by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson last month.

While some of Vick's dogs will remain at the sanctuaries permanently, others will be trained for possible adoption.

Forty-eight pit bulls were seized from the Surry County, Va., property, but one was euthanized for medical reasons.

Vick is serving a 23-month sentence for a dogfighting conspiracy.

Best Friends, which we visited last week – and which will the subject of several upcoming blog entries – set aside an entire octagonal housing unit for the Vick dogs.

"The one thing about these dogs that's different is they can't be put in group living situations like most of our dogs," John Polis, spokesman for the sanctuary told WWBT-TV in Richmond. "So we've been spending the last few weeks clearing out some new areas where these dogs can have individual runs. They have indoor-outdoor access. They're going to have a really nice home."

Posted by John Woestendiek at 2:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
                    

If you're not checking out our readers' comments section, you could be missing some fine ideas -- like Anne's proposal for what to do with former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick's former estate in Surry County, Va.

Vick has begun his 23-month sentence for dogfighting, and his house (pictured to the right in an AP photo) is on the auction block.

Anne (a regular Mutts reader) wrote: "There's enough infrastructure there that you could easily construct warm, comfortable buildings for dogs of all shapes and sizes. There's lots of outdoor, woodsy space. Large areas could be fenced off so that dogs could run and play in wooded areas.

Anne continued: "There's a building that could be adapted as- -- oh, maybe a veterinary clinic. I've always envisioned a large building with easy-to-clean floors and runs opening off it so that dogs could either be sociable together or have a quiet area according to their needs. I'd add a large heavy-duty washer and dryer for their bedding...a place to mix up their food...a bathing and grooming area...every amenity they might enjoy.

"...There would be plenty of indoor and outdoor space to introduce prospective adoptive families to the dogs in a comfortable, natural way. It's so pleasant to imagine a place of such dark horror for dogs being turned into a place of peace and safety for them -- a sort of a five-star rescue facility. I'll have to get busy and win that Powerball. Sigh."

Five stars and a wag of the tail, to Anne for her creative, if unfunded, idea. To see her full comments, and others, click here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
                    

Three of the 47 remaining American Pit Bull Terriers in the Michael Vick civil forfeiture are alive, well and living in Baltimore.

The dogs were taken in by Recycled Love, a rescue organization operated by Baltimore's Sallyann Jennings.

Recycled Love is one of eight organizations that a federal judge approved to receive the dogs.

Many are expected to be eligible for future adoption by the public.

The other seven organizations where Vick's pit bulls have been placed, according to WXIA-TV in Atlanta are:

Best Friends Animal Society, Kanab, Utah (22 dogs); BAD RAP, Oakland, Calif. (10 dogs);
Richmond Animal League, Richmond, VA (4 dogs); Georgia S.P.C.A. Suwanee, GA.; (3 dogs);
SPCA of Monterey County, CALIF.; (3 dogs); Animal Rescue of Tidewater, Chesapeake, Va..; (1 dog); and Our Pack, Inc. (1 dog).

Posted by John Woestendiek at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
                    

Michael Vick was sentenced Monday to up to 23 months in prison for running a dogfighting operation.

That's more than either of his two co-defendants, and U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson said the longer stretch was because Vick was "less than truthful" about the dogfighting ring and his involvement in it.

"I'm not convinced you've fully accepted responsibility," Hudson told Vick, who arrived in court in a black-and-white striped prison uniform. He voluntarily surrendered Nov. 19 to get an early start on his sentence.

Despite a public apology and participation in an animal sensitivity training course, Vick was denied an "acceptance of responsibility" credit that would have reduced his sentence, the Associated Press reported.

To see a full version of the AP story click here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 7:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Days before Michael Vick's sentencing on dog fighting charges, an open house at his former house on Moonlight Road in Surry County Va., was drawing a stream of curious visitors this weekend.

The estate is scheduled to be sold at auction next week by the real estate developer who bought the 4,600-square-foot-house and surrounding 15-acre spread.

The Associated Press reported that visitors were seemingly impressed with the house, which underwent a $50,000 sprucing up , and that they didn't say much as they wandered through the backyard compound of kennels and outbuildings where the pit bulls were kept.

Vick, the suspended NFL star, faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced Monday for his role in the dogfighting conspiracy

You can find a version of the full story HERE.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 8:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)