It looks like Michael Vick will no longer stain the NFL with his presence. Now that Vick has pleaded guilty to financing dog fighting, gambling on fights and killing under-performing dogs, he is headed for the slammer. Even if it is only for a year, it sends a message to the other dogfight organizers out there. This country is ready to get serious about the horrendous underground sport of dog fighting. Maybe this will spur the justice system to change some laws on the books to make it easier to prosecute dog-fighting participants. If you’ve ever watched Animal Planet’s series of animal cop shows, you know that it is nearly impossible to catch dogfights in progress. The cops seem to arrive right before or after fights, and unless they catch them red-handed, it is difficult to get a conviction for the charges that include jail time. Michael Vick’s stupidity just might save some canines down the road. In fact it has already helped in one case.
In Mt. Vernon, NY, an animal shelter found 63 kittens dumped at their door, crammed into three boxes. Humane Society officials believe they were “bait” animals, used to give fight dogs in training a taste of blood. They also believe the Michael Vick headlines led the dog fighters to get rid of the kittens. You can read the story here. To find out about buying the shirt pictured above go here.