What happens to you if you’re not a Vick dog
By Gina Spadafori
November 28, 2008
Yesterday I added a new blog to the “worth reading” list, the B-More Bulldogs blog. I did that after reading a single post, about the 187 dogs seized in a Houston-area dog-fighting bust.
They were are to be killed. By the people who “saved” them.
No chance to prove they could have been good companions, as the Vick dogs are showing now. No chance to help make the case that just because you’re a pit bull, you’re not a hopeless irredeemable killing machine. Just 187 dogs, saved to soon be dead.
Not one of them was is worth taking a chance on? Not one? C’mon. Out of 187 dogs?
Did we learn nothing from the Michael Vick situation?
Update: Until we can confirm otherwise, we’re not going to assume the dogs have already been killed.
Here’s the post, too sad for words. She makes the great point that the Houston shelter got a lot of good media for “saving” the dogs, but about what happened to them? Not much said about that.
Semi-related: Give some toys to BADRAP’s Ambassadog program. This group has done so much to help change the image of pibbles. Help them help more dogs. (Image from BADRAP)
Did some dogs go to Best Freinds Utah? If were those dogs killed? I was told a few days ago the dogs at Best Friends were still alive. Anyone Kniw for sure?
Comment by thomas — November 28, 2008 @ 3:14 pm
How do we know all these dogs are dead? I have found no references to the current status of the dogs but perhaps something has been learned by word of mouth?
If the reporting at this page http://hcnonline.com/articles/.....ghting.txt is accurate, it says the dogs will be tested and a court will determine their disposition. Courts normally don’t move quickly so I’m surprised to read that all the dogs were killed.
I hope this is not the case and that indeed they will be tested and evaluated individually to assess their potential suitability for rehab and rehoming.
Comment by slt — November 28, 2008 @ 3:17 pm
Don’t know if they’re DEAD yet, but Houston SPCA has said they’re going to kill them:
http://blogs.houstonpress.com/.....anasia.php
Comment by Christie Keith — November 28, 2008 @ 3:36 pm
Thanks Christie.
Well again, *if* the reporting I cited above is accurate, it seems to me that the Houston SPCA - maybe they should take out the “P” - does not have a legal right to dispose of the dogs as they see fit. The courts are supposed to determine that.
Comment by slt — November 28, 2008 @ 3:53 pm
Please, keep us informed all of you who are investigating this, or provide us with a central link where we can find the accurate info regarding these dogs. I have tried to formulate some sort of articulate response to this other than “WTF, Houston SPCA ‘rescued’ this dogs to kill them? What’s the F*ing point?” but can’t.
Those of you who contribute regularly here all know the power of the Web to get things changed. Yes, We Can do right by these dogs, if they are still alive.
Comment by Anne T — November 28, 2008 @ 4:30 pm
And more, from Tuesday.
I’m guessing if those dogs ARE still alive, authorities might be rethinking their position next week.
Read the comments: Donna Reynolds of BADRAP weighs in, especially on the BS that former fighting dogs need to be “rehabilitated” — and that can be done only with millions of dollars.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 28, 2008 @ 4:45 pm
Millions of dollars to rehab? Think of all the dogs being rehab-ed in shelters and rescues daily without the aid of millions. Who knew it supposed to take millions?!
I have lost all respect for the HSPCA. I didn’t realize they had this attitude towards pits.
Comment by straybaby — November 28, 2008 @ 5:23 pm
When I think of the Vick case, there was a sitch where Vick killed any dog who “underperformed” as a fighter. So presumably, his particular group of dogs would all be “good” fighting dogs. But when seized and individually eval’d, the vast majority were deemed worthy of saving and of those, a good number have been successfully rehomed.
We don’t know if these 187 dogs were held to the exact same standards (fight successfully or be killed) but if eval’d, we might see a similar, or even better, success rate at rehoming. My thinking is that perhaps some of the “underperforming” dogs might have been kept as breeding animals or for additional future training. Those dogs may simply need the same rehab as the average shelter dog - obedience training, house training and being matched with an appropriate owner. No particular burden there.
Such a double standard to apply to a celebrity case vs. a non-celeb case. Perhaps the trick is for us in the dog world to MAKE this a celebrity case. To make it clear these these dogs deserve their shot at a fair eval, just like the Vick dogs, just like EVERY SEIZED DOG should get.
Comment by slt — November 28, 2008 @ 6:14 pm
If you watch Animal Cops Houston - the HSPCA has always taken the position that they ‘can’t take a chance’ on adopting out former fighting dogs.
Its time to put a little polite pressure on them to rethink their policies. Granted, they may not want to take the responsibility, but there are other groups that will.
Think I’ll send them an email this weekend.
Comment by 2CatMom — November 28, 2008 @ 7:06 pm
Michigan Humane on Animal Cops Detroit appears to have the same policy of euthanizing all pits that they take in, last I saw.
Of course if you do that, you never find out what is possible. I will, however, credit both them and Houston with doing what they’ve thought was reasonable and humane, given their assumptions about pit bulls.
But what Bad Rap and Best Friends have done with the Vick dogs has totally shifted the issue as far as I’m concerned. There is no reason to automatically kill any of these seized dogs just because they came from a fighting operation or may have been fought.
I agree with 2CatMom. If HSPCA doesn’t want to deal with the dogs, move them on to someone who does.
Comment by Susan Fox — November 28, 2008 @ 7:54 pm
What Bad Rap, Best Friends and the others who have taken on the Vick dogs have done/are doing is wonderful of course. But it’s not news to the pit bull world that dogs rescued from dogfighters can become pets.. it’s happened many times before. While of course there are exceptions, for the most part, fighting dogs are highly trainable (or re-trainable) and in many cases have sterling temperaments, just needing some redirection of their ideas about what their people want.
There is NO excuse for the wanton wholesale destruction of a group of dogs that have been abused. Houston, Detroit, Miami and other Animal Planet “heroes” deserve NO credit in regard to pit bulls. They try to cover themselves with glory for “rescuing” dogs from dogfighters… only to kill them. What’s “humane” about that?
Indeed, the Vick dog situation shows that many of the dogs seized from dogfighters were probably not themselves fought.. few of the Vick dogs actually appear to have been and a few even seem to have been treated as pets. Remember, only ONE of his dogs had to be killed because of a dangerous temperament. Several are already working as therapy dogs.
What could be more cruel than killing dogs that have been abused?
Comment by EmilyS — November 28, 2008 @ 8:28 pm
This is just so sad and frustrating to those of us who are trying to change people’s minds about these dogs. We have 4 fight bust dogs, One of the MV dogs and 3 from other less known busts. 3 of the 4 are certified Therapy Dogs, the 4th is still in a foster home living with 3 other dogs and is a wonderful pet just waiting for her forever home. All of them live in multiple dog homes. Did they take work, absolutely, but the biggest issue with these dogs seemed to be learning house manners, just like any dog that has spent their life outside on a chain. Let’s hope that they have not already been killed and that someone will step up as the judge did in the Vick Case and say hold on..let’s give them a chance to be evaluated.
Comment by MaryC — November 29, 2008 @ 8:54 am
Killing pit bulls is standard in most public shelters, so far as I know. I think a lot of the problem stems from fear of liability should a bite incident occur after the dog is adopted.
Liability insurance is very hard for shelters and rescues to get - I know of only one company offering it. And it is obscenely expensive.
If insurance and liability issues were not so pervasive in the shelter industry, more dogs could be given a decent chance for life.
Comment by Mary — November 29, 2008 @ 6:08 pm
After getting a grand runaround from the Houston SPCA, I found the Houston Chronicle is reporting all the dogs have been killed. The source is the Asst. DA in charge of all animal cruelty cases for the county. Ironic.
Comment by slt — December 1, 2008 @ 9:55 am
With friends like these …
Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 1, 2008 @ 9:57 am
Seems a bit sneaky that all of this happened so fast at a time when people might not be watching the news and the internet as much as usual due to Thanksgiving travel, etc.
Comment by Lori — December 1, 2008 @ 11:07 am
The dogs’ deaths are mentioned pretty far down:
“All 187 dogs seized in the large bust that led to the mass indictments last month, Smith said, were euthanized because of their aggression — an all-too-common end to a life of suffering.”
Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/stor.....39897.html
All 187 dead, and not one could be trusted? Who tested them, and how? And why were these dogs so different from the Vick dogs, if indeed they were?
Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 1, 2008 @ 11:28 am
I would like to see the eval sheets. I doubt we’ll ever see anything though. They seem to be playing a game where you contact one party and they say they can’t give out info, you’ll have to contact Party #2 who then says they don’t know why Party #1 would say that, go back to them for info… I guess no one is as excited about giving out the WE KILLED POTENTIALLY ADOPTABLE DOGS info as they were to give out the WE SAVED DOGS FROM A FIGHT RING info. Go figure.
Comment by slt — December 1, 2008 @ 12:37 pm
My guess:
Evaluation: Pit Bull
Recommendation: Euth
Notes: None.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 1, 2008 @ 12:46 pm
Really. Or:
Notes: Appears to dislike being dragged from cage via catchpole.
Comment by slt — December 1, 2008 @ 1:02 pm
And what will happen to the 127+ dogs seized from Ed Faron’s Wildside Kennels in Wilkes County, NC? Yup, you guessed it…Wilkes County Junior Simmons and the HSUS plan on killing all of these dogs (including over 60 very young puppies..some still nursing)as soon as Faron’ trial is over. In a “good ole boy” county like Wilkes, who will appoint a “Special Master” like Rebecca Huss who represented Michael Vick’s dogs to try and give these Faron dogs a chance to live. HSUS can’t stop the DEED so they want to illiminate the breed. It sickens me. I don’t know who are the worse enemies here…the dogfighters or the HSUS. WHAT ABOUT THE VICTIMS? The dogs?
Comment by Ann Grady — January 7, 2009 @ 3:18 pm