After I posted my previous blog about Michael Vick and his involvement in dogfighting, I began to wonder what happened to the pit bulls taken from him. Were they euthanized or put up for adoption?
Typically the dogs that are seized from dogfighting rings are euthanized because, they are seen as menacing. But, 49 of the pit bulls that were taken from Vick were given a second chance. According to the Washington Post, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson ordered each dog to be evaluated, and that Vick pay close to $1 million to pay for the lifetime care of the dogs that could be saved.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) evaluated the 49 pit bulls. One was deemed too vicious to rehabilitate and was euthanized, and another was euthanized because it was sick and in pain. 25 of the surviving dogs were placed directly in foster homes and many have been adopted. The other 22 dogs were sent to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah because, they were deemed too aggressive toward other dogs. After intensive retraining some will move on to foster care and eventually be adopted.
How can a pit bull raised to fight become a loving and nonaggressive dog? According to Frank McMillan, one of the veterinarians who are studying the recovery of Vick’s dogs said they do not have an answer. McMillan said, “We’ve assumed all pits are the same, and we’ve never let this many fighting dogs live long enough to find out. There are hardly ever studies, because these animals don’t survive.” Some of the dogs taken from Vick were loving when approached by humans, by licking their hands and wagging their tails.
John Goodwin, a dogfighting expert with the Humane Society has a different opinion about fighting dogs. He is a proponent of euthanizing the dogs trained to fight. He claims that fighting is in their blood and said, “These groups are not rehabilitating these dogs. They’re training them to behave in a more socialized manner. But these pit bull should never be left alone with other dogs, because you never know when that instinct to fight another dog is going to surface.”
I am torn between the statements made by McMillan and Goodwin. I believe it is great that some of the pit bulls taken were able to find loving homes and given a second chance. But, what if Goodwin is right and you never know when their instinct to fight another dog will surface.
3 comments:
Usually the issue about fight dogs is not that they are harmful to humans. I've read that they aren't aggressive to humans but the prevalent problems arise during the times they see other dogs or animals that they were taught to kill. A lot of the bites or injuries that fight dogs do to humans happen when humans try to intervene and stop them from attacking another animal. I have been an owner of numerous dogs, from German Shepard to smaller Pekingese and Chihuahuas, and I sympathize for fight dogs but I cannot see how they can be "deprogrammed" to not attack dogs and other animals on site when they were trained since birth to do so.
Yes, it is hard to imagine the dogs going from fighting other dogs to getting along and playing with other dogs. But, some of the articles I read about Vick's dogs said that they got along with other dogs, and even played with them.
Wow, whatever they did, I'm glad it's working. I was under the impression that fight dogs could not be tamed, I'm glad that it seems to be a misconception.
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