This is a heartwarming story about the power of kindness to change behavior and rewire instinct. Michael Vick, the imprisoned QB, trained his dogs to be cruel, nasty and brutish. (The dogs that didn't take to fighting were beaten, tortured and killed.) Most animal experts assumed that Vick's pit bulls would need to be euthanized, since they would never get over their aggression. But the experts were wrong:
The court gave Vick's dogs a second chance. U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson ordered each dog to be evaluated individually, not judged by the stereotype of the breed. And he ordered Vick to pony up close to $1 million to pay for the lifelong care of those that could be saved.
Of the 49 pit bulls animal behavior experts evaluated in the fall, only one was deemed too vicious to warrant saving and was euthanized. (Another was euthanized because it was sick and in pain.)
More than a year after being confiscated from Vick's property, Leo, a tan, muscular pit bull, dons a colorful clown collar and visits cancer patients as a certified therapy dog in California. Hector, who bears deep scars on his chest and legs, recently was adopted and is about to start training for national flying disc competitions in Minnesota. Teddles takes orders from a 2-year-old. Gracie is a couch potato in Richmond who lives with cats and sleeps with four other dogs.
The cliche, it turns out, isn't true: old dogs can be taught new tricks.
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If that doesn't make you just a bit misty-eyed, I don't know what would.
Thanks for posting this. As an owner of 2 pit bulls (one rescued from Hurricane Katrina), it's encouraging to see positive press on these often-misunderstood and -mistreated animals. There are also some great video clips on the BadRap website...telling the story of the dogs rescued from Michael Vick's place.
I once got stuck with a Siamese runt who hated cats and hated people more. It took a couple of months to turn her into a dedicated lap cat and a snuggle-companion to the other cat.
A few years later, one of them started caterwauling, so I taught them not to do that, ever. It took only a couple of days.
I used to teach humans for a living. Cats are better students.
I adopted a Maine Coon that a co-worker was going to have put down because he fought constantly with her other two cats (both females). Smoky came to my house and was whiny and needy and nervous for months, but he did not fight with my two (a neutered tom and a spayed female). Gradually he became a lordly, talkative furbomb who passes up no opportunity to half suffocate you in bed. He's not the most affectionate cat I've ever known, but he is probably the least violent one.
I think I know who was starting the fights in Smoky's old home, and it sure as heck wasn't him.
Can the same be said about Mr. Vicks?
Just to be clear, while Im ecstatic Vicks pits are doing well, this is still an example of crap journalism.
The 'dog fighting expert' from 'the Humane Society' Brigid Schulte quoted is actually a high school drop out ALF member, and 'The Humane Society' has nothing to do with 'The Humane Society of the United States' (which is really just ALF with a smile).
Oh, but we always have to hear a 'contrasting viewpoint' or its not 'journalism', and heaven forbid a journalist 'research' the individual theyre quoting. *rolleyes*
Come on ERV, the article may be fluffy but its whole message is that the HSUS guy is wrong. HSUS are as you imply the acceptable face of the animal rights movement, so their inflexible attitude should hardly be surprising.
It's a real pity that it's so easy to confuse HSUS with the generally far more sensible American Humane Society, the article should have made the distinction.
"generally far more sensible American Humane Society"
Bonsai kittens aside;-)
Yes, animals can be saved, so can human beings, and it's wonderful that those dogs get to live out their lives in comfort and dignity, but no, a pit bull should not "take orders" from a 2 year old. The jaw of a pit bull has too much force. The dog doesn't have to be vicious to cause terrible damage, just surprised by a sudden movement.
We'll see.