First, let me state that I hate American football. Until the GWB administration, I was a huge baseball fan. Now, not so much.
I am an emotional person and have had trouble in the past with movies that have pups dying, even in the most humane ways. One movie out of Mexico that got great reviews will never be on my Netflix list.
I watched Michael Vick on 60 Minutes last night. There was something in his eyes.
I also saw something in the eyes of my beloved Dora the night she attacked both me and Tammy, with Murphy looking on in fear.
As a boy, Michael Vick learned that dog fighting was normal. The police ignored it, and as everyone knows, it’s not a new thing. Take the time to look back at the breeding of American Staffordshire dogs and you will see what they were bred for, a very long time ago.
Dora, as a bird dog, or German Pointer, was bred to kill small animals. She killed a possum in the house, but she also mortally wounded a neighbor’s dog that got in the yard and very nearly killed Braveheart. It’s what she was programmed for and trained for before I adopted her.
Michael Vick still hasn’t reconciled, but he deserves a chance. I still don’t trust Dora around Tammy and I never will, but she deserves a chance.
Vick needs to stay away from dogs, just like Dora needs to stay away from Tammy and any small creatures in the ‘hood (though I give her props for minding me when the little feral kitten was in the house — progress?).
I don’t know if Vick and the Humane Society can pull off the end of dog fighting or any animal fighting — there is a strong culture of violence in our country, but if he can make a dent, good for him.
The most important point I want to make is that felons should be able to go back to work. Making it impossible for people who made terrible terrible mistakes in life from ever being able to contribute is wrong. Sure there are people who can never be trusted with living among us, but like Dora and Michael Vick, there is a vast majority who could come back into the fold and live meaningful lives.
That look I saw in Dora’s eyes — she was confused and didn’t understand. I lashed out at her that night. But she was confused and afraid. It’s much what Vick said he felt. He admitted that he cried. He knew he could have stopped it.
I gave Dora probation. I figured out how to deal with her aggression. As a society, I hope we can look on Michael Vick’s redemption and think that it could work for the less famous, for the everyday people who get caught up in their environment.
