Michael Vick and End Dogfighting
Vick's participation in The HSUS' anti-dogfighting program
The Humane Society of the United States
What has The HSUS done to leverage the Michael Vick case?
Since the Vick case put the spotlight on dogfighting, we have worked with lawmakers, law enforcement officers, community organizers, and others to end dogfighting.
Since 2007, we've upgraded more than 40 laws (state and federal) on animal fighting. The HSUS has trained thousands of law enforcement officers on investigating animal fighting and paid out at least 90 rewards for tips leading to arrests in animal fighting cases. We have worked with law enforcement on more than 400 raids on animal fighting operations.
We also launched programs in Atlanta, Chicago, and Philadelphia to reach at-risk youth. Hundreds of people have participated in our
pit bull training classes, which teach dog owners that their pit bulls can be friends, not fighters. We hope to expand these community-based outreach programs to other major urban areas.
There is no other animal welfare organization with an entire unit focused only on combating animal fighting.[*]While these efforts have put a dent in the problem of dogfighting, there is disturbing growth of the activity in urban areas. We need new ways to address the problem, and we seized on the opportunity to put Michael Vick to work because his celebrity and his unique story have the potential to turn thousands of young people into anti-dogfighting advocates.
Since Vick is back in the NFL, doesn't your work with him signal that dogfighting is okay and that the penalty is weak?
Given the penalties available at the time he was sentenced, U.S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson meted out a strong penalty to Vick. He paid a steep price for his crimes, in addition to serving his prison sentence.
The HSUS has worked to upgrade the federal animal fighting law twice in the last two years. The penalties are much more severe now than in April 2007, when Vick's home was raided. The HSUS has been pushing for felony-level penalties for animal fighting crimes for years because that's the only way to drive criminals out of this business.
Why didn't you choose a different celebrity to connect with urban communities?
Vick was a role model for many young people, and he lost everything because of what he did to dogs. His story is the strongest possible example of why dogfighting is a dead end. Just as former drug addicts are able to reach people struggling with addiction, former dogfighters are some of the most effective voices against this crime. We realized the potential that Vick has to reach at-risk youth and pull them out of the quicksand of animal fighting. That said, we constantly attempt to recruit celebrities and others to join us in our crusade to end dogfighting and other forms of animal cruelty. We want to use all pathways to stopping the problem.[/LIST]
At this point this is what he is doing to make a change and atone for what he did, but frankly from what I have read in this thread that is now going to ever be enough for some folks, and Ender I'm ok with saying that this Country gets on a kick of "what is the cause of the week" and animals have at times to *ME* have out trumped children and women.