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Vick
Dog Fighting Case Exposes Cruel Sport |
Posted:
10.17.07
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Rachel Weaver, 16, argues dog fighting is a serious, inhumane
crime and that Michael Vick should be punished accordingly.
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The recent indictment of suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback
Michael Vick, who admitted to involvement in a dog fighting ring
in rural Virginia, brought new public attention to an unusually
cruel "sport".
 Dog
fighting is when two dogs that have been bred and trained to fight
are put into a ring, pit, or some kind of enclosure to fight each
other for spectator's entertainment and for gambling purposes.
The fight ends when one dog can no longer fight. Sometimes these
dogs even die from dehydration, shock, blood loss, or infections
from untreated wounds.
Forty thousand people in the United States are estimated to be
part of the cruel sport of dog fighting and as many as one hundred
thousand other people are involved in street dog fighting, a more
informal version. Despite the fact that dog fighting is illegal
in all fifty states, it continues to rise in popularity.
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Michael Vick's
bad example |
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Vick and his codefendants pled guilty in federal court in August
to one count of conspiracy for running the dog fighting ring.
They will be sentenced in December.
Vick was also indicted in September in Virginia state court and
could go to trial there if he doesn't reach another plea deal.
If he goes to trial, he could face up to ten years in prison for
charges of beating or causing dogs to fight other dogs and of
promoting dog fighting
What Vick did is horrible not only because of the fact that he
was hurting innocent dogs, many of which died, but also that he
was a role model and a figure in the public eye. He didn't need
the money that the dog fights brought in. He did it for "sport".
For the "fun" of it.
Michael Vick did apologize for his actions. However, he lied
before and did not apologize until he pled guilty, which seems
to happen quite often. People aren't sorry until they're caught.
These actions however are more than inexcusable.
Sorry will not bring back those dogs. And sorry will definitely
not help the fifty three dogs that may have to be put down because
of their aggressive behavior as a result of breeding and training.
Vick only admitted to actually killing eight dogs by methods
that include, but are not limited to, drowning, electrocuting,
and hanging, just because they didn't meet his testing standards.
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The culture
of abuse |
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One factor that seems fairly
obvious to me but doesn't seem to be to other people and the media
is the fact the animal cruelty such as dog fighting can be linked
to violence people commit towards other people.
A 1997 survey of 50 of the largest shelters for battered women
in the United States found that 85% of women and 63% of children
entering shelters discussed incidents of pet abuse in the family,
according to the Human Society of the United States.
More than 80 percent of families being treated for child abuse
were also involved in animal abuse, according to PAWS, the Progressive
Animal Welfare Society.
So when people say Michael Vick deserves a break and that using
animals for sport is not a problem, think about what it is training
people to do - be cruel to other living things.
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--Rachel
Weaver is a 16-year-old student from Amsterdam, New York. She
is an animal rights activist and vegetarian.
Do you have an opinion about this article? Or do you have
a personal experience related to this article that you'd like
to share with our readers? Click
here to submit your story.
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Yes it's true that he came to the United States illegally, but ever since that he has only done positive things. He has a job, pays taxes, does volunteer work, raised a family, and so many other things.
