Who Knew? Michael Vick, Abused Dogs and the Federal Government

Vick, the star $105 million quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons (not counting endorsements), has been indicted for involvement in a dog-fighting ring associated with his estate in Smithfield, Virginia. Who knew that this was a federal crime? Who knew this side of Vick’s life?

Nike has postponed releasing the latest in a line of $100-plus sneakers named for Vick, whose nickname is said to be "Ookie", though it has not yet dumped him. The Falcons are taking a wait-and-see approach. But there’s a groundswell out there among sports commentators, sports fans and animal rights activists to ban him from the National Football League.

My best friends among the four-legged species are cats – specifically, Frank Sinatra and Sammie Dee. But I understand the outrage among those for whom dogs are best friends. I don’t understand, however, why dog-fighting is a federal crime when other things orchestrated by humans against other humans or other animals are not. That’s another story.

But back to this Vick thing. He has been charged with "conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture." Not just one dog, mind you. He and his pals are charged with trafficking in dogs for not just Virginia but also from New York and North Carolina. As Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post has written: “No burst of speed is going to get him out of this one. There are no linemen to follow toward the pylon.” He apparently purchased for $34,000 a parcel of land at 1915 Moonlight Road that became Bad Newz Kennels. The “bad newz” was apparently Vick and his sadistic friends and the people attracted from far and wide for their pitbull prizefights.

The Smoking Gun reports: In the indictment's most harrowing parts, federal investigators describe what happened to some Bad Newz Kennels dogs that either lost matches or did not perform well in test fights. After a March 2003 loss by a female pit bull, codefendant Purnell Peace, “after consulting with Vick,” electrocuted the animal. In April, prosecutors allege, Vick, Peace, and Quanis Phillips, “executed approximately 8 dogs that did not perform well in ‘testing' sessions. These animals, the indictment claims, were killed "by various methods, including hanging, drowning, and slamming at least one dog's body to the ground."

You can check out the indictment at The Smoking Gun website:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0717072vick1.html

Michael Vick is an embarrassment to civility. Remember him giving the finger to fans? In a more dignified way, I think fans should do the same to him. Don’t wear his No. 7. Don’t buy his shoes. Don’t support his lifestyle.

Watch Your Pets

I felt relief upon learning that canned pet foods were on the list of those to be avoided during this crisis in the food supply. My cats, Frank Sinatra and Sammie Dee, mainly eat dry food – and a by-prescription-only dry food at that.

Now, the federal Food and Drug Administration is saying that the pet foods to avoid may include dry food. So now I am carefully scrutinizing not just the labels of the food, but also watching my cats like a hawk, so to speak. They are definitely not lethargic; they chase each other through the house as always; they like water but don’t seem to be drinking any more than usual; and I haven’t seen any unusual vomiting or any diarrhea. I read the label on a bag of their food and did not find wheat or wheat gluten or additives that include ethoxyquine or propylene glycol. Their brand does include the additives BHT and BHA and one expert on a television show this morning said when perusing labels, look for them.

To learn if your pet food is on the list of brands to be avoided for now, call Menu Foods, which distributes products sold under a variety of names: 1-866-895-2708 or go to the Website: http://www.menufoods.com/recall/. Also check the Hills Pet Nutrition Inc., which has recalled one of its prescription products for cats: http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/hills303_07.html

My cats consume a different prescription product than the one Hills is recalling. According to wire services: "Hills Pet Nutrition is recalling all Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry cat food, which contained wheat gluten from the same supplier used by Menu Foods - the Canadian company that has recalled 60 million cans and packets made between December and March. No other Hill's Prescription Diet or Science Diet products are affected, said the company, a division of Colgate-Palmolive Co."

Also check the FDA site: www.fda.gov

I appreciate what one retailer, Waggin' Tails, whose products I use (Yes, I spoil my cats with all sorts of gadgets and other comforts!), said in an e-mail blast to its customers: "For over 12 years, we have devoted ourselves to the health and well-being of your pets. Our philosophy is quite simple here. Menu Foods produced toxic food. Without specific information that clearly identifies the problem and assures us that the problem is isolated to just the foods on the recall list, we do not feel safe offering anything produced in their facilities. We will continue to update you as new information is available. Again, we extend our deepest sympathy for anyone with a dog or cat affected by this event. We invite any questions to us at info@waggintails.com"


Let’s be careful out there!

No Sympathy for Teens Who Tortured and Baked a Puppy

Two brothers who admitted torturing and killing a small puppy by baking it to death inside a gas oven will serve 10 years in prison.

Some people believe that is 10 years too much, that they should have been given some slap on the wrist. Short of a public tarring and feathering, I cannot imagine a sentence more appropriatee.

Justin and Joshua Moulder, who essentially threw themselves on the mercy of the court with guilty pleas to nine felony counts, found little sympathy from Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thelma Wyatt Cummings Moore at a three-hour sentencing hearing last month.

She described the acts the boys pleaded guilty to — taking the puppy and smearing paint on it, trying to set it on fire, hog tying its feet with duct tape and binding its snout before stuffing it into a searing hot gas oven — as "malicious, unbridled cruelty."

"The way we treat animals, the way we treat the least of these is a reflection of society," Moore said.
"We will not tolerate this conduct as human beings."

Moore sentenced the brothers, ages 19 and 17 and with lengthy juvenile records, to the maximum on several counts, merging the times in jail for a final sentence of 10 years in prison, plus 10 years of probation. The felony animal cruelty charge carried a maximum of 5 years in prison. However, the time in jail increased because of charges for burglary, criminal damage to property and child cruelty.

The sentence matched the recommendation of prosecutors. Defense lawyers asked for six months in prison plus four and a half years on probation. The brothers could have been given as many as 90 years in jail.

A few years ago, I would not have paid much attention to this story. I thought of myself as not into pets and not into children, either. But I’m the homework lady and the cookie lady and the Christmas tree lady to kids in my ambit these days. AND, I am the mama cat to Frank Sinatra and Sammie Dee, who I adopted six and five years ago, respectively. They were throw-aways. Now they are two of the most pampered pussies you can imagine this side of what Al Sharpton or Donald Trump can afford.

We share this Earth with all manner of creatures. Some of us like to think of humans as shepherds over God’s flock. These Moulder brothers, and perhaps other members of their family, violated the unspoken covenant we have with our fellow creatures – human and otherwise.

Let’s hope they figure that out while behind bars. In the meantime, the rest of US can do something about abused and neglected animals by contributing to the ASPCA (www.myaspca.org; 888-776-01111).