Today our April “Hero of the Month” has been revealed. Coincidentally, this blog post directly relates to our hero Handsome Dan, and too many other dogs like him – pit bull dogs who have had the misfortune of falling into the wrong hands.
Handsome Dan’s story began as one of the dogs in the possession of Michael Vick, the kennel owner, bankroller and participant in what may be the world’s most publicized dog fighting case. Dan’s story continues today as a devoted family pet and spokes-dog for Handsome Dan’s Rescue for Pit Bull Type Dogs. As everyone probably knows by now, Michael Vick is being given yet another opportunity to earn millions of dollars as a professional football player – this time with the New York Jets. It seems he has his defenders but I am not one of them.
While none of us really knows whether he is or is not remorseful, my concern transcends the issue of dog fighting. The manner in which Vick (and his associates) not only killed, but tortured dogs in the most brutal ways imaginable and laughed about it, speaks to his character or lack thereof. How could he witness such suffering and not comprehend the agony that his dogs experienced? How could anyone do what he did and not know that it is wrong?
Unfortunately, in the world of sports, it seems that integrity and regard for life take a back seat to winning. Very sad in my opinion. There are those who say “get over it.” This article explains why I cannot. http://www.chicagonow.com/raining-cats-dogs/2014/03/michael-vick-why-we-shouldnt-let-it-go/Too many people still believe that pit bulls are inherently dangerous. I believe we need to take a good hard look at ourselves and place the blame (or the credit) where it truly belongs – on the humans who train them. The greed and win at all costs mentality displayed by the Jets, the National Football League and sports in general are not attributes that we as humans should be proud of.
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” It seems that as a nation, we have a long way to go.
Handsome Dan’s story began as one of the dogs in the possession of Michael Vick, the kennel owner, bankroller and participant in what may be the world’s most publicized dog fighting case. Dan’s story continues today as a devoted family pet and spokes-dog for Handsome Dan’s Rescue for Pit Bull Type Dogs. As everyone probably knows by now, Michael Vick is being given yet another opportunity to earn millions of dollars as a professional football player – this time with the New York Jets. It seems he has his defenders but I am not one of them.
While none of us really knows whether he is or is not remorseful, my concern transcends the issue of dog fighting. The manner in which Vick (and his associates) not only killed, but tortured dogs in the most brutal ways imaginable and laughed about it, speaks to his character or lack thereof. How could he witness such suffering and not comprehend the agony that his dogs experienced? How could anyone do what he did and not know that it is wrong?
Unfortunately, in the world of sports, it seems that integrity and regard for life take a back seat to winning. Very sad in my opinion. There are those who say “get over it.” This article explains why I cannot. http://www.chicagonow.com/raining-cats-dogs/2014/03/michael-vick-why-we-shouldnt-let-it-go/Too many people still believe that pit bulls are inherently dangerous. I believe we need to take a good hard look at ourselves and place the blame (or the credit) where it truly belongs – on the humans who train them. The greed and win at all costs mentality displayed by the Jets, the National Football League and sports in general are not attributes that we as humans should be proud of.
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” It seems that as a nation, we have a long way to go.
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