Rehabilitating The Vick Dogs

When reports hit of Bad Newz Kennels - the dog fighting facility discovered last year to be bankrolled by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick - federal and state authorities swarmed the property, football fans and animal lovers flew into a tizzy, the NFL took action and Vick - well, he was in trouble on all fronts. Meanwhile, someone had to deal with the 49 pit bulls on the property.

The federal government seized the dogs and stashed them at several shelters on the east coast. A few animal groups (PETA and the Humane Society of the United States) declared that the dogs should be euthanized, while others were outraged at the idea and insisted that the dogs should at least be given a chance. The federal government chose the latter course of action.

Expert assessment

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) assembled an expert team to assess the Vick dogs, using a series of tests to measure each dog's human and animal aggression. Soon after, the court appointed Rebecca Huss, professor of law at Valparaiso University School of Law, as the dogs' guardian/special master. Says Huss, "I saw it as a tremendous responsibility. It reaffirmed for me the difficulty of the work rescue organizations do every day."

Huss took a step back and looked at the dogs not as fighting pit bulls from a high-profile case, but as individual dogs. "I believe that each animal should be evaluated as an individual, regardless of the circumstances where they are found," she says. So every dog was given a name. Then, based on the ASPCA assessment and further evaluations of the dogs, Huss made recommendations to the federal judge about what could, and should, be done with each dog.

Ellen and Oliver

Oliver is young, black and white, and has big floppy ears. He was so scared when assessed he came out of his kennel and vomited on the floor. Considering this was his reaction even after spending months in a safe place, Huss was concerned Oliver might be difficult to socialize. In fact, many of Vick's dogs were, above all, afraid of everything.

From fighters to best friends

Huss recommended that both Oliver and Ellen be placed, along with 20 more of Vick's dogs, at Best Friends Animal Society (www.bestfriends.org) in Utah. The Best Friends staff is used to housing, handling and rehabilitating animals from abusive or neglectful situations. The remaining 25 dogs were placed with seven other rescue groups across the country, where most were immediately put into foster care families. Best Friends received the dogs that needed the structure and controlled environment of a sanctuary.

Today, Oliver is learning to ride in a car, go for walks, be petted and get treats. With a lot of patience, he's coming around. Ellen, whose nickname is Belly for her love of belly rubs, is soaking up the attention she craves. Other Vick dogs at Best Friends are learning agility and cart-pulling, or receiving Canine Good Citizen training. In short, they're getting every opportunity to succeed in life.

Beating the odds

But this case is about more than Oliver and Ellen and the other dogs from Bad Newz Kennels. Paul Berry, CEO of Best Friends, says they took issue with "the idea that [the dogs] would simply be held as evidence until the court proceedings were over, and then be summarily killed. What kind of message does that send to local humane groups and rescue organizations all over the country who are doing all they can to save thousands of other dogs in similar circumstances? We needed to make it absolutely clear that there are real options, real alternatives, for the victims of these terrible crimes."

The fact that the Vick dogs are not only surviving, but thriving, is nothing short of a miracle. If more dogs get that chance after this case, then it's safe to say the outcome is all "Good Newz." For more information visit www.bestfriends.org/vickdogs.