By now I”m sure you have seen the famous Michel Vick in the headlines for his federal conviction for being involved in a dog fighting ring. For those who don’t know Dog fighting is a form of gambling in which dogs are made to fight each other sometimes to the death. People bet on which dog will win. Money is also made from stud fees of the winners and admission fees to see the fight. Vick’s dogs were all taken away and most of them were sent to Best Friends Sanctuary to be rehabilitated. Vick was sentenced to 23 months in the federal pen in which he served 18. He also had to set up a one million dollar escrow to reimburse the cost for dog care. However, that escrow is up in the air since he declared bankruptcy. Finally, he is not allowed to own, or be involved in the sale of any dogs while on probation. After he got out of jail his current team the Falcons released him from his contract and the Philadelphia’s Eagles signed him to play for them. President Obama called the owner of the Eagles and congratulated him for signing him and allowing an ex-con to play on his team and giving him a second chance.
So I bet you really want to know my opinion on all of this being a dog blogger and all. I am disgusted that Vick can run a dog fighting ring and hurt so many animals. I think he made some very bad choices and got influenced by the wrong people to make bad decision. Heck he could have put his money into dog racing or horse racing and it would have been completely legal per the US laws. It was just stupid being such a high profile football player to be involved in this to start with.
However, he did his time and he is allowed to go back to the NFL which didn’t band him. So legally he is allowed to play football and make a huge salary . Plus, I’m sure he was thrilled to be given a second chance to play. However, the phone call from Obama was just crazy! The Eagles signed him because he is a world class athlete that can give the Eagles wins. I really don’t think it had much to do with a kind heart coach saying we need to give ex cons a second chance at a career. That call from the President came in my opinion because the eagles turned their season around with the addition of Vick to their roster. It was just stupid on the presidents part to even have his name associated with the Vick drama and his questionable past.
I think the real issue is why did he only get 18 months. The max Federal sentencing guidelines for these charges is only 5 years and he plead for 12-18 months. Countless animals died and he only spents a little over a year in jail. If more people were outraged and told their elected officials to enact tougher laws on dogfighting maybe that would help. Heck even my town, Owensboro, has issues with dog fighting. I was kicked out of a local festival by the cops because people had brought their dogs to dog fight. So they decided to band all dogs instead of dealing with the issue at hand.
So watch my blog tomorrow for a few simple things we can do to help end dog fighting!
I completely agree that what he did was wrong and totally disgusting. But remember people, like dogs, deserve second chances too. Sometimes there are dogs out there that are very aggressive and bite and hurt people and other animals. They are usually this way because of the people or animals they surround themselves with. Once they are taken out of that environment and given some training and love most dogs can turn around. I think it would be interesting to see if Micheal Vick can do the same. To err is human, to forgive is canine.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Preston Peabody, Preston Peabody. Preston Peabody said: I weigh in on the Vick/Obama Drama! here —> http://www.prestonspeaks.com/2011/01/20/dog-fighting-and-obamas-call-to-the-eagles-owner/ […]