Pit Bull Rescue Speaks out about Michael Vick

[bigdogs@5501]

Pit Bull Rescues speaks out about ViC
To whom it may concern,

My name is Amanda Conrad, and I am the founder/president of Pit Prints PitBull Rescue/Rehabilitation, the only state licensed Pit Bull specific rescue organization in GA, and the largest in the U.S. I have been interviewed by
numerous magazines, news stations, and newspapers over the past week withregards to the Michael Vick situation, and felt it only necessary to alsocontact each of you regarding the serious nature of this situation to voice
my opinion. I've held off on contacting you to see if any actions were going to be taken to remove Vick from the Falcons and/or NFL; after waiting for a week and seeing that nothing has been done, I felt compelled to let
you hear from someone in the Pit Bull community explaining why something needs to be done about Vick, and what the animal community plans to do to show their disgust for Vick and those who support him.

It certainly seems as though the NFL has overlooked the severity of Michael Vick's involvement in a felony activity. While it is understood why you would each want to remain uninvolved until the trial for legal reasons, I
don't think you understand how many football fans you have disappointed, and just how many have decided not to support the NFL, in particular, the Atlanta Falcons. Comments have been made about how Michael Vick's
involvement in dog fighting is not related to the team, but with all due respect, it has everything to do with the Falcons and overall, the NFL.
Your decision not to remove Vick from the Falcons simply shows your support of him, despite him having a track record of bad behaviors in the past- this is certainly not a first offense, and I truly doubt it will be his last.
This particular crime is horrendous, and should not be overlooked for any reason. Dog fighting their is gruesome, and absolutely inexcusable; and yet you are excusing a member of the NFL simply to keep him on the team for
ticket sales and game wins.

It's sickening to think that the chances are Vick will get away with a slap on the wrist simply because he's a public figure- Mr. Superstar Falcon's player. Dog fighting cases are hard enough to prosecute without having a
celebrity involved who can weasel their way out simply because they have money and connections. The fact that Vick IS in the spotlight is all the more reason for him to be fully punished for his actions, both on and off
the field; Vick's actions are nothing short of inhumane and disturbing- and it needs to be shown to the public that such actions will not be supported or tolerated by the Falcons or the NFL. I, for one, am tired of public
figures getting out of trouble simply because they have the money to fight it, and get out of it with minor fines (to Vick, honestly, what is a $250,000.00 fine when convicted?), so they can move on with their life and
do it again?

Amongst the animal community, the NFL will be boycotted, and no tickets will be purchased, nor will any games be attended to show our disgust with Michael Vick and those who stand behind him. We plan to show you just how
involved his actions are with the NFL and the Falcons. It will be spread far and wide for all to NOT support the NFL or Falcons until something is done about Vick; perhaps a decrease in ticket sales and game attendances
will open your eyes and show you that Vick's actions OFF the field do affect your team, even if you choose to ignore it.

I strongly urge you to reconsider your position in keeping Vick in the NFL,and for those who have endorsements with Vick, I suggest that you pull your endorsements and give them to someone worthy of such endorsement deals.
Although, I must say that I am not surprised that Nike, a company who just a few years ago shot a commercial with two Pit Bulls facing off as part of their commercial, would have ANY sympathy for the dogs involved in this
situation- clearly,  ike is all about the money, and has nothing to do with humanity. I stopped supporting Nike after that commercial was aired, and have NOT supported them in any way; I threw out every Nike item I owned, and
chose to go with K Swiss, Adidas, or ANY other company besides Nike, and I will continue to do so. Many animal lovers are also pulling their support from Nike because they endorse Vick- I hope it hurts Nike financially so
they see why they made a bad move in continuing their endorsements with Vick.

I strongly advise all of you in the animal community to FWD this to all of your contacts, and get their support- NO Nike purchases, NO NFL/Falcon's games- show them we're serious about this and we plan to hit them where it
hurts. If they refuse to remove Vick from their team, then we'll refuse to watch them- perhaps then they'll see how his actions off the field do affect the Falcons and the NFL overall. Also, contact the Falcon's owners, NFL
contacts, and Nike to express your disgust with their support for Michael Vick.

I sincerely hope to see Vick out of the NFL soon. If he's not removed, I will spend every waking hour gaining public support and boycotting the NFL and the Falcons until he is removed; I will speak with every radio station, news station, magazine, and editor in the country until I am heard by all.
I have the tenacity of the dogs I rescue, and will not stop until I get what I want, which is having Vick removed from the NFL.



Thanks in advance for your time and consideration,

Amanda Conrad
President, Pit Prints Pit Bull Rescue/Rehabilitation
www.PitPrintsR escue.com
www.PitPrintsR escue.petfinde r.org

Promote Responsible Ownership...NO T Breed Prejudice.