Harley & Dozer

I’ve never considered myself a “dog person,” but I do have a soft spot for them—whether they’re my boyfriend’s slobbery boxers, my mom’s giant bull mastiffs or dear old Barney.

Apparently, dogs don’t hold a very big place in Michael Vick’s heart. The star quarterback will be taking a trip to federal court today to face charges of participating in a competitive pit bull fighting ring. With PETA protests and public outcry, this is sure to be another PR nightmare for professional sports.

If you don’t know much about the severity of dog fighting, I encourage you to visit the Humane Society’s Web site to learn more. The consequences of it are brutal and often end in death for one of the animals involved. In January, our community learned about the hard facts of dog fighting firsthand. Eight severely abused dogs arrived at the local Humane Society after they were found running loose. They’d been forced to participate in a dog fighting ring. Some were used for training purposes only. All of their teeth were gruesomely removed so that they couldn’t injure the other dogs that would go on to fight competitively. Several of those dogs died—not in a fight, but because they had severe mouth infections and couldn’t eat.

If Michael Vick’s alleged participation in a dog fighting ring doesn’t seem like that big of a deal to you, please consider the animals involved. Why do you think people enjoy watching dogs brutally attack one another?