Pit Bull Freak Out? Not Me!

As I was waiting for basement workmen to come to the house, a lady in an SUV came driving by. "Have you seen a dog running loose?" 
"No, what does he look like?" 
"Brown with a white face," then tentatively, hesitantly, tearfully, "He kind of looks like a pit bull....??" She's in tears, "He's our baby!" 
"I have lots of pittie friends, no worries!!! I've worked with the bullies before. Let me get my guys in here to work, and I'll help you look for him." I even tell the Spousal Unit to keep an eye out for a lost dog. The lady gives me her name and number. She's shaking and in tears; her kid is manfully holding back his tears. About 20 minutes later, she drives by. "We found him!! He was just down the street!" Thank goD! I felt kind of good that I wasn't one of the Freak Outs when I heard the words "Pit Bull...."

Artie's Day July 5, 2013

Artie: I had a huge day yesterday. I'm still exhausted!

My Auntie Gayle took us to the shelter yesterday where I was adopted from. I don't remember being there. I was there only a day maybe and then I went to live with Momma Jen, the Rotten-weilers and Uncle Shay the collie.  Then I went Mom and Dad's house. 

Anyway!!

There is a doggie day care there, so Mom to me there to have play time while she messed about with shelter dogs. She had lots of smells on her when she picked me up. The place is called Hattie Larlham (In Twinsburg, OH) and employs people with mental disabilities. But I don't care!  

The head guy told me and Auntie that I did really well and they said, "He can come back ANY time!" Mom was really happy, because as a Cattledog Mom she hasn't heard this a lot cuz it doesn't happen all the time. The Others who came before me could be real bossy with other dogs. Some of us cattledogs are pretty bossy!

Then we went to my cousins' house Oreo, McKinley and I hung out there for a couple of hours.

Waiting for Uncle Ray to come home.....I don't need to lay on no stinkin' towel!

Kinners really likes his butt scratched!

I play with Oreo and then I play with McKinley!  This is how it goes when I am there.....

Then we all went (along with other doggie friend, Dudley) for a very hot, humid, muddy, slippery long walk (6-8 miles) through the woods. Up and down hills, lots of roots and rocks and slippery stuff, through streams and mud.  I don't care because I'm a dog!  I like the water part. I was a little worried at the pond where the Bad Thing happened but I went in and out with Kinners so eventually it was ok. 

I think Dudley got stung by a skeeter; there were a lot of skeeters. All the humans were sweating a lot.  Dudley won't go into the water like Oreo, Kinners and I do.  He doesn't like it but that's ok!  Oreo dips himself, it's funny!  I know Mom was really tired but it's GOOD for her.  We went back to O&M's house and I got a BATH!!!!!!  Eeeeuuuuu! 

(Yawn...) Ya know.....I...think...I might....be....a little....bit......Zzzzzzzzzzz.......

Mom: Can you believe it, I think he's STILL tired!

Artie getting some loving from Honorary Mom, Auntie Gayle.

I truly hope his sweet, goofy, social nature continues as he matures. I really love his temperament!

When you adopt a dog, even one as young as he was (3.5-5 months), It's a crap-shoot. You have no idea where he came from. How he was raised. A lot of it IS nurture (I think) but nature is definitely in there. I'm thrilled beyond measure at what a nice boy he is and I think we've "done right" by him as owners/trainers. He does get the occasional verbal "Hey!" and "What the he-- are you doing?" and "Knock it off!" but all the rest of his training has been "all positive." Praise, clickers, treats, tug/fetch rewards, luring, shaping etc.

He'll be 2 in September.

Classes and Training Help: L'Chaim Canine.

It Isn't Just A Pit Bull Thing. Cattledogs Get It Too!

OK, OK, I know. A lot of my friends have or work with or volunteer for Pitbull type dogs.  Two of Artie's bestest friends are pit-type dogs.

The Spousal Unit with Kinners: two guys hangin' out.

Oreo: he's down with that!  Artie loves him!

The boys check out Co
usin Artie

So yes, we have contact with many "big heads."  And we love our pit-type friends.  We hear the stories, the misconceptions, the comments about them.

I've been a lot of places where there are dogs and now because of my exposure to pit-types, I don't have any pre-conceived notions.  It's a dog with a (usually) square head, period. I ask if I can pet etc. just as I would with any dog.  And I've done events with a pit-type on my arm, so to speak, and have educated and advocated for them for years now.

I think I've heard darn near every comments a person can make about pit-type dogs and I'm here to tell you, it runs the gamut from "Awesome" to "Satanic."

I've heard, "You can't trust 'em, not one of 'em," to "Best damn dog my family ever had!"

What is fascinating to ME, personally, is for as many bad or  fearful stories that people tell, I've heard an almost equal amount of curious, respectful questions to misty-eyed memoirs to powerful stories of love and loyalty.

I can honestly say (if the locale is pretty neutral) that the nice comments or questions run about anywhere from 40-75% of what I've heard if the dog I'm with is a nice, mellow dog or goofy, happy dog.

The negatives just seem louder than the neutrals and positives.

Now folks who have pit types wail and gnash (rightly so) about how misunderstood their dogs are.  They are.  I'm not saying they're NOT!  BSL, extreme prejudice, unnecessary killings and incarcerations. Pit type owners have every right to feel, nay, be paranoid, vigilant and on guard. If you're on a Pit Group on Facebook or you know folks who have them or work with them, this is nothing new. It's an exhausting round of educating John Q. Stupid-Public.

However, you're not the only ones.

We have (for those of you who don't know us) a lovely female mix and an Australian Cattledog (ACD). He will be 2 in Sept. 2013 and his name is Artie or "Blooby" as he is most often known.  (Blame the S.U. on that.)

Artie is my 7th (including fosters) ACD. This is my 20th year with cattledogs.

Brief synopsis for the uninitiated: An ACD (sometimes known as a Blue Heeler, Queensland Heeler or Heeler) is a medium sized herding dog breed, originating in (who'd a-thunk?) Australia!  They come in blue or red (plus blue or red speckle).  They were bred to herd and guard feral cattle in the outback.  They are also used on sheep and other stock, including reindeer! They are very smart, pretty biddable (I think) and tough. They have teeth (scissor bite) which they use to herd stock with, often nipping at the heels of recalcitrant cows. Thus the name "heelers." They are often called "velcro" dogs because they want to know what you're up to at any given moment.
They are athletic and sturdy with a weather-resistant coat. They should have upright ears and tight "cat feet."
They are loyal to their humans but often diffident to down-right suspicious of strangers. They often are not tolerant of other dogs.  They need a ton of positive socialization. They have a lot of energy, although I have had a few that were pretty laid back. (That's not the norm.) They are a "busy" dog but I think there are many dogs that are far busier.  They love brain and/or body work and excel in a wide variety of dog sports.  At 17-20 inches, it's an easy size to live and travel with.

Artie has some of the best qualities of his breed and of a companion dog in general.  We're very, very blessed.

ACDs are also an extremely unusual LOOKING dog. Once you know what a cattledog looks like (or SHOULD look like) you can honestly say, "Yep, that's a cattledog!"   They are pretty unforgettable!

(I have to preface this by telling you I live in the Midwest.)

Here are some of the "usual" comments who someone has met Artie (or any of my other cattledogs.)

"Wow, what kind of mix is THAT?"
"Man, how old IS your dog?" (This only seems to happen with blues; must be the grey hairs in the coat.)
"Does that dog have WOLF in him?"
"Is that a little German Shepherd?" (I never know where people get that from.)
And startlingly close to the truth) "Is that a (part) Dingo?"

Once in a while (and it's getting to be more commonplace than it was 20 years ago) you hear:

"Is that one of them blue heelers?"  This is often said in the same semi-suspicious tone as many a pit type owner has heard.  "Is that one of them pit bulls?"

Now, OK, all right, call me grammatically biased but the minute someone (no matter what city or state I'm in) says "them heelers" or "them there heelers" or even 'them cattledogs," (yes Virginia, some people DO get it right), my intellectual-snobbery-hackles start rising up.  Even when someone say "those cattledogs" with the emphasis on "those," I inwardly cringe.  I'm sure pit type folks do too.

"Oh, God, here we go. And it's not going to good."

Here's where the pit type folks and the cattledog folks diverge. With a pit type on the other end of your leash, you COULD ostensibly B.S. your way through that query especially if your dog is black, brindle or fawn colored.  I've heard lab-boxer mix, hound-boxer mix, poodle-terrier mix (yes, we had one of those of the Humane Society) etc. etc.  John Q. Stupid couldn't pick out a pure-bred American Pit Bull Terrier out of a line-up!  Many experts can't either!

But if they've identified your ACD as a heeler or cattledog, yeah, you're pretty much sunk.  Here it comes, I think.  The Bad Cattledog Story. And it almost always begins with "My cousin" or "My friend had one of them."

It's usually a cousin. If it's a cousin, you know (9 out of 10 times) it's going to be bad.

Let's say, on a good week, you and your friendly, social dog meet 20 pretty neutral-to-nice people, all men.  In a good week, the pit type folks  might get 40% - 60%  neutral to positive reactions.  The rest, admittedly, are going to suck.

In that same week, the cattledog owner, meets 20 people (men) who guess (correctly) what he is. 17-19 of those people will say the following:

"Cool looking dog. You know....my cousin (insert other friend or relation) had one of them (there) dogs.  Meanest damn dog you ever saw. Bit everybody.  Loyal as hell but damn, was he ever mean!"  

Your heart does a little downward spiral because you know that yet another jerk owns an out-of-control, untrained (or badly trained) cattledog and is doing a huge disservice to the breed. Your brain goes slightly postal and you think with in inward sigh:

Educate. Again. It's a training exercise for my dog, meeting new people. Again.  I bet Lab/Pug/Fluffy Dog people don't go through this sh*t.

So, Pit type dog owners and lovers, you are not the only ones.  If you're out in public, cattledog people get this all the time.  All. The. Tine.

So do Rottweiler people.  And Doberman people. And German Shepherd people.

Perhaps it might comfort you folks with pit type dogs to know you're not alone.

Black Dog Syndrome

Who says you can't take a good picture of a black dog!  (Which is one of the stupid reasons why black dogs AND cats are overlooked in shelters, by the way).

I'm not bragging but I'd say these disprove THAT little myth!

Here endeth the lesson.  Any questions?

A Note To All Northern Ohio Rescues

I think ALL the shelters in Northeast Ohio, all the dog clubs (training and showing, purebred and performance), trainers, educators and all the rescues, every stinkin' one of you, need to get together and figure out ways to help animals.

Here's what needs to happen:
We all need to educate people esp., kids in the schools, about proper pet ownership, responsibility, compassion, bite prevention and breed education. We need to educate them as to where to get a dog or cat when the time is right.  A shelter, a legitimate rescue, a responsible breeder.  We need to educate people to think with their heads, to research it all out.  We need to shock the hell out of 4th graders through middle school age kids, which is when their compassion level seems to sink and their need to fit into a group and be "cool" rises. That's where dog fighters find their recruits and it goes all across all demographics.

 We need to find ways, funds, donations to provide more low cost or no cost spay/neuters and med clinics etc.This is what (IMO) is what is needed.  Look to organizations like C.H.A.I.N.E.D. in Detroit and "Break The Chain" in New York who help individuals with proper fencing, housing, educating and low cost or no cost "speutering."  Northeast Ohio, as of this writing, has no organization doing their kind of work.  Everyone seems to sit in their nice, middle-class homes and bitch about all those ghetto or redneck types with their dogs on 20 pound 6 foot long chains. They post pictures and post their outrage on Facebook. It IS outrageous and disheartening!  People on social media are honestly sick to death of seeing it.  They are sick of seeing dead dogs. Come up with a solution that's not a knee-jerk one.  "Get rid of all the breeders!" Yeah, that one won't work.

Put on your brave face, your big girl/boy pants and see how you can help, person to person.  Half of you won't even go into inner city schools and do educational programs and answer questions.  Any kind of crazy question and I've gotten a lot of them.

There is a desperate need for fosters.  So why are people turned down all the time?  Good people.  Why aren't there local seminars sponsored by many rescue groups with a vet and a good trainer about how to foster successfully! Especially helping potential fosters figure out the logistics of adding another dog into their own home. Crates?  Temporary fencing?  Introduction training?  Why isn't that in place and offered often?

And since we're on a bit of a rant....I'm really sick and tired of all the damn pit bull rescues fighting and spatting with each other like a bunch of wet cats in a barrel.  As if the poor "breed" (if you can call it that since it's a mix of bully types) doesn't have about a thousand strikes against it, you all are beating your swords against your shields  "Our way or NO Way!". Get off the damn bitch-mobile and start working together.  Get the best of your best out into the public eye and show a uniform front.

There are WAY too many women involved in rescue in NE Ohio ---- there is too much bitchy estrogen running around. We need to find a way to get more men involved.  Grill some steaks and hire a stripper...I don't care. Whatever it takes.  Hit up athletes, business types, men, men, men...we need men!  We need more male spokesmen. Men love animals too and their way of helping may surprise you! Having a guy tell another guy why he needs to be man and get Buster's nuts removed seems to work better!

I'm sick to death of rescue people bashing folks in purebred dogs, flinging all that "You're BAD, evil, You are the sole contributing factor to the over-population problem!!" with their one litter a year.  First of all most the hash-flingers don't even know anyone seriously involved with purebred dogs. I've asked. Many rescue folks have never taken their dog to any kind of class, hired a trainer or tried to compete in any venue with your mixed breed!  The snobbery of He's Just My Pet.  Not that this isn't the most noble gift dogs give us but they are capable of much more.

You WANT people in purebred dogs on your "side."  Are you crazy not to get to know them?  Even court them a bit?  No, they will not support your total breeding moratorium and for wiser reasons than the average rescuer could possibly comprehend and it has NOTHING to do with The Almighty Dollar. Here's a new flash, kids.  The serious "hobby" breeder is not what is causing your pet over-population problem. He or she is the least offensive and will be the first to be punished by your breeding moratorium.  They plan a breeding better than you probably planned who were you going to marry and have kids with!

They have connections most rescues only dream about it.  Don't think for one nano-second they don't know about the pet over-population problem and aren't distressed and sickened by it.  Throughout the country, most of the time, someone who shows purebred dogs is one the first on site of any given puppy mill or hoarder bust.  No one, and I mean, NO ONE is more incensed about Puppy Mills or Hoarding than the folks in Purebred Dogs. I've noticed in the rescue community a ton of sun-burnt nostrils on self-righteous up-turned noses when the subject of someone who "shows dogs" comes up. Since so many of you know very little about that world of showing, obedience, agility, or other dog sports or haven't been immersed in it as a trainer, handler, assistant, judge, groomer you are bashing a group of animal lovers en masse without a great deal of personal knowledge.

One must only look at the Puppy Mill Case of over a hundred Rottweilers in Texas to understand what Rottie fans, owners, breeders did to pitch in and really help these dogs in need. Click here for an article about it.

Seriously, if the bottom line is that dream of a no-kill shelter or the banishment of Puppy Mills do not count out people in the Fancy of Showing Dogs.  Your little rescue is not on national TV being watched by millions of people worldwide but Westminister Kennel Club is!  You honestly think that the WKC winner couldn't use his time on "Good Morning America" to tell folks to spay and neuter  to get a dog from a shelter, or a breed rescue.

People who show dogs are not the enemy!  They would never condone a puppy mill or a hoarder. So get off your high horse and stop slamming them.  They love dogs too!

Kelly Ripa and Pit Bulls?

To Kelly Ripa and all fans of her show. 

(And yes, I posted this on the LIVE Facebook page but no doubt it'll get yanked.)

Ms. Ripa: You should not make blanket comments about pit bulls (or even that type of dog). It shows a blatant ignorance and an assumption on your part of biased, quasi-education. 

Should we say the same thing about blondes, your appearance or your intelligence, you'd be rather angry, hurt, disappointed, wouldn't you? Perhaps not, as by your comments, it's highly doubtful as to whether you possess any of the virtues of basic intellect but rather an alarmist, punt-kick attitude towards dog related things of which you could not possibly have any reasonable knowledge.

In other words, Ms. Ripa, you be needin' some educatin'!

Pit Bulls: Yeah! Elke: Nay! (A "Reactive" Rant)

This past Saturday, I went to an event benefiting a Pit Bull group and there were 2 female "pit bulls" being big goofy, tail-wagging goobers. Those two girl dogs were being petted hundreds of times, having kids rolling around them, crawling on them, hugging them, yanking on their necks ---- for hours.  The tails never stopped wagging. I was so impressed by their tolerance and temperaments.  If Elke were in the same room, people would gravitate towards her because she looks "safe" and adorable.  And she is, sort of, with people for the most part. She might have taken that attention for about 15 minutes, tops. Which is fair; it's pretty stressful stuff. I get that.

 BUT if any other dogs would have been in her view, all bets would be off.

Go figure.

Last Friday, Artie The Cattledog goes off to Doggie Day Care and does just fine with the other dogs! He had so much fun he snagged a dew claw nail, so he's on antibiotics. I'm actually thinking about having those damn things removed. Hate them.  If I thought Artie would tolerate being a Conehead for 2 weeks, I'd do the damn surgery tomorrow. So yes, he is still a mouthy, somewhat disrespectful, bratty, adolescent cattledog boy.  But he's starting to mature a bit.  A little bit.
I am frankly so astounded that my cattledog did OK at day care. I know Elke has some issues but I figured Artie would be a wash-out too. He is, after all, a cattledog and they can be jerks! Yet again, he has pleasantly surprised me

On the other hand, there was today's debacle:

Elke, the one everyone thinks is so friggin' adorable (she's so snuggly, kissy and cuddly at home) FAILED. MISERABLY!

A big F.  As in Failed. As in Your Other Dog Is More Than Welcome But Don't Bring Her Back.

As in We Can't Get Her Out The Door Fast Enough And Don't Let The Door Hit You On Your Ass On The Way Out failed.

 I should have known this was doomed:
Death Knell #1: I had forgotten her vet records and we had to go back and get them.
Death Knell #2: A truly nice laid-back, hound-type dog walked into the lobby when she was in there and I had to get her in a corner away from that dog ---- fast.

It was embarrassing as hell. I get why parents, when faced with Little Johnny being a jerk at school, go home and beat the crap out of Little Johnny.  They are mortified. (No it's not "right," of course, so don't start with me.) And no, I didn't get mad at Elke until she pulled on the leash for about the bazillionth time which is getting so blasted old I could scream....I just yelled at her to quit it.

By the way: Gentle Leaders, harnesses, prong collars, C/T for loose leash walking....all a bust.  All the damn harness did was rub her fur raw in her armpits and cause huge problems.  Didn't affect the pulling one little bit. Walking her is even less fun than walking Artie on his worst days.  About like Dri, my German Pinscher.

Her "failing" means I've failed this dog somehow. Yet again. And it's getting really friggin' old.

Yes, I've failed. Period.  End of discussion.  You cannot convince me otherwise because: This is how I was trained in horses and then in dogs.  Your animal fails a test, an event; it is YOUR FAULT. Rider error, handler error.  It's all the same. You might get a pass with a shelter dog unless you're working with that dog every single day, a couple of times a day. But I felt like a failure is those "Help Train A Shelter Dog" classes; all my dogs were collosal failures, poor babies.....which is one of the reasons I stopped doing it. I might do OK in a Shy Dog class...I can toss hotdogs with the best of 'em to a dog who avoids me like the bubonic plague.

The Day Care People actually did a lot right. They took her into a very quiet room without me but I could see her (she couldn't see me) and brought in a very mellow, quiet, older, non-reactive dog.  At a distance on a leash. I heard her bark and I knew it was doomsday. I know that bark. She started being a jerk IMMEDIATELY. Growling, snarling, barking, snapping.... She was a total growling, shrieking, snapping mess of stupidity. They didn't even get the chance to meet and greet; the people at the Day Care were afraid Elke might hurt the other dog.

 I got Elke when she was 3-4 months old; she's never been attacked by any dog EVER to my knowledge. The boarding kennel where I normally take my dogs doesn't allow any dog interaction and she'll ignore the humans. The regular boarding kennel (Vistah Kennels) said she's very good but actually not much fun.

What is weird is so many dogs that I've seen who look like Elke tend to be assholes.  There must be something in the DNA combo that creates shepherd-looking faces, tan bodies, curly tails, cobby bodies and growling, snapping, asshole behavior. I have had more dogs that look similar to Elke growl, even from a distance.

I called the trainer we're supposed to take CGC prep classes with and left her a message that I'm afraid Elke is gong to get kicked out of class or fail it miserably. I'm afraid she's going to screw it up for the other dogs, Artie included. She growls when she sees people sometimes. She'll even growl at us occasionally, which is unacceptable. She only does it when we tell her to shut up because she's growling at something she hears outside. She definitely "reacts" to strange dogs. She's really bad in strange situations which, obviously this was.

How the hell is she going to pass the CGC, which is almost always in a strange place?  Let's not even TRY for the Therapy Dog or D.E.L.T.A.  (In fairness, that is a really hard test for any dog, regardless of breed/type to pass.).  I see my hopes for her going down the toilet like a torpedoed ship.

React. You know, I'm starting to HATE that word.

F---k "react." It's so P.C. It's so Dog Behaviorist-Don't Shoot The Dog psycho-babble lingo B.S. Don't misunderstand, I do respect those people.  They have tons more training and experience than I do.  I get that.

I got news: It's called Being Stupid. If we were talking about a child it would be: YOUR KID IS A BRAT. I don't care if they are 2 or 20.

In the olden days of dog training, we called it "Being An Asshole." We would have had her front legs off the ground by her face and she'd be getting a "what the hell" lecture in no uncertain terms if she pulled that crap.  You lunge at another dog (or worse a person) you're being an Asshole, a Bully.  (No offense to Bully breeds.) Nowadays with "positive only" types of training that is a huge no-no.  They're being "reactive."

Screw Being Reactive. They're being an ASSHOLE!  Call it what it is.  I'll try positive training, clickers, the yippee-skippy dance, whatever but PLEASE call it what it is.  Please "nice' dog training people, please, just call my dog an asshole. I'm OK with it.  Promise.  I know, far better than you, that my dog IS one! I want him/her to NOT be one!  The world sucks for doggie assholes.  Doggie asshole have very little life. Doggie asshole die all the time.

This is my issue...

I'm tired of having dogs I can't take anywhere or do anything with because they are reactive assholes. Just like one expects their kid to graduate from school, I expect my dogs to get their Canine Good Citizen certification.  Just the normal course of events. I expect that if I'm walking my dog on a trail I don't have to go 6 feet into the bush, stuffing hotdogs like I'm a sausage maker into my dog's mouth to avoid the other dog passing me or coming at me, even an ancient, calm one. I'd like to go on vacation with my dogs. We having a standing invite to go to NY state with our dogs too.  Bummer.  Kennel time!

I've only had one dog, Dri, my German Pinscher who couldn't pass the CGC test and it was one part...the "leave the dog with a friendly stranger" part.  He moaned. A lot. He whined. A lot.  People laughed.  A lot. (Frankly, I was stunned he did OK on the rest.)

Here is Elke, with those melt-you eyes, that soft fluffy fur, her adorable face...and she is being a jerk.

I'd love to take my dogs for hikes, bikes, maybe herding or agility or Rally.  I'd love to go to events like BARK IN THE PARK, the Humane Society's fun benefit and dog walk. I will probably try and take Artie. He might be just fine.  I'd love to do therapy work with my dogs; I've seen the benefits.  I know what dogs can do. I'm tired of my world shrinking because of the asshole dogs the goddamn Universe seems to throw in my way.

WTF? WTF am I doing wrong?

So, in conclusion, the next time you are out walking with your dog and see an adorable Elke-looking dog and a "pit bull" type dog, you might want to give Miss Adorable a wide berth and try walking NICELY past the Pit Bull.

The Michael Vick Thing

I got a lovely private comment (and I mean that) about my Facebook post regarding Michael Vick stating another point of view.  


Here is my take on the controversy. Yes, I'm upset that he stands to make millions in endorsements. Here's my opinion about the whole thing.  I think I wouldn't have as big of a problem with him if he were going to give his money (or most of it) away.  To help kids, animals, something beyond himself.  I wouldn't have as much of a problem then.  He did serve his time (not enough) and according the Justice System, we should give him as much of a break as the next guy out of jail.  Frankly, I think he's getting WAY more of a break than any other convicted felon I've known coming out of the slammer (and I've known a few).  They can't get a job and he's making millions.  What's up with that?

Here's the deal-breaker for me: He doesn't come off as one bit repentant. He talked to kids because it was good press and I think part of his plea bargain, sentence, his community service, whatever.  He's not doing it now (that I know of) nor is he part of a nationwide campaign against dog fighting, animal cruelty, etc. 

If he wanted to make a difference, truly make a difference, he'd show it.  He doesn't give a rat's a**, and that's the part that pisses people off.    He's in a position to really, really help -- to really, really educate, especially the kids, the young adults that are headed down that path. If he was dong PSAs, I think a lot of people might give him a pass.  If he came into a shelter or rescue and scutted out kennels once a month, that would be nice too.  That would be Nobility, Humility.  There is nothing Noble or Humble about this man.

I have noticed that most of the people who are incensed about Vick are women.  I am not a Femi-Nazi but gentlemen, where art thou?  Most men I've talked to about this say he served his time, etc. 

If I were his manager, I'd tell him to divorce himself from his family members, who mostly ran the whole operation.  Goes to show: he knew what was going on, he was part of it. He financed it, he's dumb as a box of rocks. You can take the boy outta the environment, but apparently in his case, not the environment outta the boy....and I'd tell him, "You'd better take a good chunk of that change and use it to help."

It sends a bad messge: OK kids, you can be convicted of a felony, serve time in jail, and make a zillion dollars.  Shucks, it's the American Dream! It's Bernie Friggin Madoff!  It's the Ohio Governor! (Don't get me started on that bozo.  I sure as he** didn't vote for him!)

Is he as bad as those Wall Street a**holes who ripped off millions of people?  In a way, no.  (Don't stone me.) It's badness, greed, stupidity, carelessness in a parallel universe. Peoples' lives, animals' lives. By the way, the Wall Street Jerks should have to serve hard time on a chain gang and not at Club Fed either.  

But here is Vick who has a chance to make good and to make a difference! Especially in the lives of animals.  He's not and that what's pisses me off.  

Michael, pay attention the the Nike motto: JUST DO IT! In the end, you may just grow a heart.