August 24, 2007 : 5:53 PM ET
Now that the dogs who were confiscated in the Michael Vick case will no longer be required to be held as evidence, Best Friends members are asking what we are doing to insure that they won’t simply be killed.
Best Friends believes that these dogs deserve the very best we can offer them. After all, they have been through so much, and have made a huge contribution to a new public awareness of the plight of animals bred and trained for fighting.
But the question of whether dogs like these, who have suffered so mightily at the hands of Michael Vick and his associates, can be rehabilitated, is controversial.
The Virginian-Pilot, which has been following the case as it has unfolded in Virginia, notes that:
“Best Friends Animal Society in Utah, which rescued abandoned pets after Hurricane Katrina, offered rehabilitation and its 33,000-acre property as a new home for some of the pit bulls.”
but adds that:
“People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Humane Society of the United States recommended euthanasia as the only option for dogs trained to fight.”
When Vick was arrested, and the dogs taken to local shelters, Best Friends wrote to the U.S. Attorney’s office and offered to take charge of all the dogs, conduct assessments that would give benefit of doubt to the dogs, place as many as possible in specialized care with our training partners and other expert caregivers, and bring any others who had any potential quality of life to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary for special care.
Other organizations also offered to assess the dogs, and the federal authorities have now invited the ASPCA to take charge of the dogs and organize the assessments.
The ASPCA has invited Best Friends to send one person to “contribute to the observations and options related to disposition.” We are working with the ASPCA to better understand the structure of this arrangement. If we are able to make our recommendation s directly to the federal authorities, and on a dog-by-dog basis, we’ll likely accept the invitation.
We’ll let Best Friends members know more as the situation develops and as we have more information.
