Due to Michael Vick’s admitted federal crimes related to dogfighting, a judge barred him from owning a dog for 3 years after his release from prison. But he has repeatedly expressed an interest in owning a dog again “for the kids” and in fact his partnership with the Humane Society of the United States yielded an endorsement on that front from CEO Wayne Pacelle in December 2010:
“I have been around him a lot, and feel confident that he would do a good job as a pet owner.”
Last week, Vick reportedly tweeted and quickly deleted a photo of himself and his daughter at home, sitting at a table that had a box of Milk Bones on it. He replaced it with a very similar photo but the box of dog treats had been removed from the table. Common sense tells us that Vick currently has some personal involvement with dogs (due to the box of treats) and that he wants to keep that information from becoming public (tweet-and-delete). Given that he has been expressing a desire to get a dog for some time, it seems a reasonable conclusion to believe he may have done so. But what are the legalities here?
Profootballtalk.com reports that Vick’s court documents allow him to own, buy and sell dogs at some time in 2012:
We tracked down (thanks to a reader who also is a lawyer) a copy of Vick’s sentencing order from December 10, 2007. And while the document states that “[t]he defendant shall not engage in the purchase, possession, or sale of any canine,” that limitation appears as a condition of Vick’s supervised release, otherwise known as probation.
Vick was placed on three years of “supervised release,” which began to run after he was released from prison. Thus, at some point in 2012, he’ll no longer be on supervised release — and he’ll be able to buy, own, and/or sell dogs.
My question is this: Has Vick’s probation officer (or anyone else) checked to see if in fact he does has some personal involvement with dogs and if so, whether he began owning, buying and/or selling dogs after the date allowed by the courts?
And as a follow-up, if Vick did get a dog, I’d really, truly and sincerely like to know who on this planet gave him one?
I hope someone.. anyone managed to save the photo with the dog biscuits… I hope he gets flooded with Tweets. He should never be allowed to be anywhere near animals.. period.
Oh it was saved. You can view it at one of the links above.
Thank you.. hadn’t click on the link yet..
It’s been the opinion of many of us since Vick’s sentencing – that the plea bargaining that occurred because of his money and connections and elite athletic status – causedthe results to be less than what they should’ve been. He should NEVER be allowed to have ANY interractions with animals again – EVER. But then how is something like this enforceable? THIS is what judges and juries and attorneys talk about. Who will be responsible for monitoring him – and if they set up monitoring AFTER his supervised probation – would this monitoring be considered harrassment and invasive. It’s ridiculous but so true. Vick has enough money and enough connections to be involved in dog fighting at ANY level without anyone even knowing about it. And I believe – again as many others do through scientific and demographic studies – that monsters like Vick are not possible to rehabilitate. America continues to aggrandize him as does corporate America like a bunch of money grubbing idiot lemmings.
Thank you, Karen, well said. It is just so disgusting to me that he is playing football again. And the thought of some poor dog being owned by him is truly scary. Corporate America (and that includes the HSUS as far as I am concerned) is monstrous too – is there anything they won’t do for money? And the people, don’t they care? Do they know all the atrocities he committed on these innocent beings. Lemmings is the right word. If only they would go after dog fighting in a serious way, maybe we wouldn’t have any more of these horror stories. Michael Vick and his enablers must be stopped.
Spread the word to boycott HSUS!!! They are even sicker than Vick if they think he can be nothing but the sick, disgusting mutant person he is and always will be…Shame on you HSUS….never a dime more!
Who on this planet would have given him one? I’d say he probably found a dog fairly easily. Unfortunately, as we know, pets =$$$ and nothing more to far too many people on this planet
Lisa, even more to the point is that 1) There are starstruck Eagles fans out there who have convinced that he did the crime but also did the time and are “willing to give him a second chance,” 2) even people who are active in the dog fancy are not always active in animal welfare issue, and 3) not everyone knows what Michael Vick looks like. Moreover he could have sent his daughter with someone else to buy the dog. Not everything evil can be laid at the feet of people who sell dogs.
Sadly true. And I’m sure he’s kept in touch with his old dogfighting buddies who would be happy to give him a puppy “for the kids”.
The man enjoyed the violence and causing pain. He’s a sociopath who should be monitored closely for the rest of his days.
Amen to that!
Out of respect for everyone that reads this blog I choose to refrain from comment. I just pray to God that there is NO dog anywhere near that monster!
Wayne Pacelle would give him one.
No surprise there, right?
But depressing, none the less.
I saw the photo on another site – and I agree that he is a sociopath and should not be allowed anywhere near any animal. He never showed any remorse for the torture and killing of the dogs (as well as the violence in the breeding and fighting). I don’t believe he is a changed man, but money and professional football will get you what you want. I don’t doubt that he still has a lot of “fans” – possibly some of his old dog fighting buddies. I hope he is worried enough about what the public knows (as in removing the first photo and replacing it with one minus the Milk Bones box) that he wouldn’t dare do anything that could be seen as abuse or violent to his dog.
There is NO cure for SADISM. Period.
I noticed the bird cage in the background. Hope he isn’t torturing it like he did his dogs…..
It looks like a dog in the doorway in the photo. It’s the dark shadow with the upright ears, like a cropped-ear pit bull. The 2nd (the replacement) photo had the open box of Milkbones and part of the doorway cropped out of it, and you can’t tell that it might be a dog in the doorway.
A little detail (not dog related) I noticed in the photo: He’s wearing a “Team Vick” logo t-shirt.
I saw that. He learned well from Pacelle about self promotion.
@ruthrawls: I thought that was a dog in the slightly open doorway of that pocket door to the right of the birdcage, also. It does look like the top of the head and a cropped ear that you can see in the small opening of the door.
Not for nothing, but wasn’t Vick convicted and sentenced for inter-state gambling? I don’t think his prison term had anything to do with dogfighting because prosecutors with the Commonwealth of Virginia – in their wisdom – declined to nail him for that. What a travesty!!! He is truly disgusting. Every week I pray, “Hit him low, hit him hard!”
Yes he was convicted on the money part of the dogfighting, not animal cruelty or similar type charges.
Unbelievable, what kind of country do we live in??
We live in a country that has little or no regulation in the treatmetn of animals. We live in a country that has been apathetic about the RIGHT things to do for too long. It starts with us – each one of us contacting our local government on a REGULAR basis with a GROUP of citizens that we each gather regularly and demand that legislation be passed so that these sicko monsters CAN be prosecuted and sentenced.
Hmmm..I always yell Break his leg, break his neck!!!!
It looks like there is a dog sitting in the doorway…or am I just seeing things? But yes, more than likely, he has one. It’s too easy to get a dog nowadays, unfortunately, so I doubt he’s refrained from getting one, especially if his daughter wanted one.
Anyway, here are my thoughts on this. The thought of Vick owning any dogs disgusts and repulses me. Hell, I feel the same way about the thought of him having kids! But I’d like to think that SOMEONE would regulate, for a lack of a better word (maybe check up on?) him with dogs better than before since he was convicted, sort of a “probation officer” kind of a thing. There are plenty of dog fighters and abusers that the law doesn’t even know about and to me dog fighting is dog fighting regardless of who is in charge of it; a famous athlete or a “gangster” in Detroit.
Having said that, in an ideal world, Vick would be sitting in prison for as long as he could (hopefully for life) but sadly, this isn’t a perfect world.
He’s off parole and he won’t be checked on. He’s rich and he’s insulated. No one in his entourage is going to ever say anything even if he gets into dog fighting again. Hell – they’ll be involved. And there’s simply no way any of the sports network would ever say a bad thing about one of their own.
“He’s off parole”
Aww that sucks. Though not that surprising, I guess…If youre rich (and/or famous) in this country, you get way more legal perks than you should. It reminds me of this: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151065046451275&set=pb.177486166274.-2207520000.1349658594&type=1&theater
Actually … I’ve been browsing through pet-abuse.com, which follows cases through, and it looks like on the whole sentences for animal abuse tend to be light. This is true even of cases as egregious as Vick’s; he pled out of any charges for abuse, but the sentence he did serve would’ve actually been longer than many for felony abuse.
This is something I think that, as citizens, we can really only address politically, by expecting a higher standard of elected officials. I’m not sure how to monitor the record of the courts for animal cases without direct access, though, or if there are any groups which monitor their own local court cases who might be able to provide advice. Does anyone know?
only reason he wants a dog so he can find some one to use it as bait im not stupid i wasnt born yesterday. ok if he gets a dog it cant be a pitbull then
I find the HSUS so conflicting due to their lack of funds to shelters and this sponsorship. I not only think that Vick should not be allowed to ever even look at another animal, but he should be monitored and supervised while expressing interest in getting a dog “for the kids”. Has he told his children how he fought, hanged, drowned, and electrocuted the very dogs he wants to now own? This is insulting to anyone who takes great care of their pets and who has even an ounce of compassion for our four-legged friends. He deserves much more punishment than he’s received.
I hope someone hurts this guy like he so deserves…..
Thank you for writing about this. Animal rights issues have become a major factor in my life over the last few years, especially since making the decision to get a dog of my own and sharing the wonderful 2 and a half years since with my pet. I was outraged when I learned of vick’s crimes, more so after the eagles made him a millionaire again, and way more so when I realized that everyone in the philadelphia area (where I live) couldn’t care less what he did as long as he scores touchdowns. [You’ll notice I’ve taken a friend’s suggestion and will not show enough respect for him, the city, or the team to use capital letters for what are proper nouns.] At this point, it’s as though the penalties he suffered were negligible, as he has his career, fame, and money all back (as I understand it, his debts are mostly paid off). To be allowed to own a pet again is the final incredulous straw proving that celebrities and athletes are virtually untouchable whereas you or I would face consequences for life. I pray all the time that he suffers a catastrophic career-ending injury.
Agreed. I remember when it happened and he went to jail, people were saying “oh well he did his time”. Yeah he did time but not for anything related to animal abusing and only for like what, a few months at the most? I dont remember the full story, but it was not NEAR enough!
Ah, yes all is back to normal. Vick is raking in the moola with his adoring fans, HSUS got their share of some and are now his firewall against animal welfarist who cry foul.
So where are the protests in front of his house- where are the protests at his games-
Oh wait those in animal rescue can’t rock the majors HSUS, ASPCA, etc. might not get the crumbs, called grants, handed out that they desperately need to keep rescuing or Spay/neutering- thus perpetuating the myth that is an ugly silence allowing this monster to remain free and living the high life.
Bet the new dog is a Lab if the cover on the notebook on the table is any indication.
This was in one of the comments on one of the links-
Oct 6, 2012 9:20 AM
Old news.
He got the dog last year, with the blessing of the ASPCA.
His daughter wanted a dog and he made the request with the consent of the Commish.
Check out the stories with the pics
http://www.google.com/search?q=the+michael+Vick+family&hl=en&client=safari&prmd=imvnsuo&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=31FzULPEMJClqwGl5YDQCw&ved=0CFAQsAQ&biw=320&bih=417#i=6
opps… I keep clicking the link, the pictures show up for a half a second but then disappear to Google home page…
I also clicked on the link and there were no pictures posted of a dog there.
“Eagles QB & convicted dogfighter releases statement confirming that his family owns a dog.”
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/blogs/birds-nest/Vick-Owns-Dog-173763001.html
Who wrote this press release for Vick? It’s certainly not written in his dialect…If he has nothing to hide why did he delete his Tweet so quickly…No one’s checking on the dog…it’s a sad sad thing that he’s gotten away with the dog fighting…
I don’t know how you all feel about it, but I’m still shocked at the fact the judge allowed him to even think of getting a dog much less allowing it after 3 years!!! Does that judge actually think Vick will be “cured” of his vicious abusivness of animals in just a matter of a few years? I bet the idiot was killing kittens and puppies when he was 18 mos old!! It just angers me to know that the judge was that stupid and we allow them to serve the public. If he’ll allow Vick to own a dog after what he’s done, what will this judge allow a child molester or child killer.. Just sign up after you get out of jail and make sure you keep us posted as to where’re you’re living now! I can just see it.. That judge needs to be relieved of his/her duties.. Period. They sound as if they could be dangerous people. Just my 2 cents worth.. Have a great day everyone.. Let’s keep on being the voice for these poor animals … “Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains unawakened” Kathie
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