Second chance for 47 Vick dogs

    Eagles fans know Michael Vick will likely start as quarterback this Sunday, but what happened to the dozens of dogs that were at the center of Vick’s illegal dog-fighting operation?

    Eagles fans know Michael Vick will likely start as quarterback this Sunday, but what happened to the dozens of dogs that were at the center of Vick’s illegal dog-fighting operation? Of the fifty-one dogs, forty-seven went on to live elsewhere.

    Even considering saving the Pit Bulls was a new approach, says Sports Illustrated writer Jim Gorant, who’s written a new book about the Vick dogs.

    “Some of them were court ordered to be in sanctuary setting for the rest of their lives. Since then, probably I think 17 have been adopted into homes with other pets and kids and everything and it’s going pretty well. Most of the time dogs from a fight bust were euthanized without really questioning it and this time they…did their individual evaluations and they’ve gotten really good results and so that’s become more the standard approach now.”

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    Two of the dogs pulled from Vick’s property died in government custody. Two others had to be euthanized.

    Gorant says oddly, Michael Vick might be the best thing that ever happened to Pit Bulls…because of the publicity that surrounded his case, and the potential to debunk myths about the breed.

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