Michael Vick Wants A Dog - For His Kids

So here we are, the 3 year ban has been lifted for Michael Vick and he can now get a dog.  According to Vick, he only wants a dog for his kids, because it has been unfair to them to live 3 years without a dog.  For me, I do feel sad for his children that they cannot have a dog, but I feel that Vick should've been banned for life for what he did to those dogs.  To say it was inhumane doesn't even begin to cover it. 

I have gone back and forth on this topic, should Vick get another chance to right his wrong, prove he is rehabilitated?  Or should he have to live with some reminder of what he did the rest of his life, since he has shown little remorse for it?  It doesn't matter what I think, a judge gave him his punishment and he served it and now he is allowed to own a dog if he chooses to.

Below is the post Dogster had on Vick this morning, in it is the blog from the ASPCA about their thoughts on Vick owning a dog again.  As well, they give a brief but descriptive recount of what Vick did, I think many of us have blocked out just how horrific his actions were.

Oh, here we go. Michael Vick wants to get a dog. "Certainly wouldn't be a Pit Bull," he told Piers Morgan last week during an interview.

Vick has said as much in the past, but in the past we were protected from him owning a dog because a judge had banned him from owning a dog. Now that the three-year ban is up, Michael Vick says he wants to get a dog -- for his kids. 

You see, his kids haven't been able to have a dog of their own after their father killed 13 of them by hanging, shooting, electrocuting, and slamming them repeatedly on the ground  -- not to mention engaging in horrific acts like throwing family pets into the ring for dogs to attack, along with the more garden-variety abuse of fighting dogs. 

Not being allowed to own a dog hasn't sat well with Michael Vick. 

"I still deal with my kids each and every day, and for the last three years, not being able to have a dog, because of my acts, I just don't think that's fair," he told Piers Morgan. 

In Michael Vick's world, it isn't fair that his kids can't own a dog after he killed and abused so many of them. 

"I can’t take that dream away from them," Vick goes on. "That’s selfish on my behalf."

You can't win, right? You kill and torture dogs for years, and then you're selfish if you don't get another dog. 

(Vick on Piers Morgan.)

"Got to find a way to make it right and, you know, I put everything in God’s hands to make it right."

So, remember, when the story breaks that Michael Vick has stopped being selfish and has stopped trying to take away his kids' dream and has finally bought his dog -- certainly not a Pit Bull -- rest assured that the decision was made by the lord and what He deemed best. It was out of Michael Vick's hands. 

To us, it looks like Michael Vick is saying anything he can to temper the outrage that is likely to occur once he does buy his dog -- for his kids.

You know who doesn't want Michael Vick to buy a dog? The ASPCA. When the ASPCA doesn't want you to buy a dog, you probably should take a moment and listen. We know, it can be hard to sit down and tell your kids that the ASPCA really doesn't want to to get a dog, but maybe at least you can read the group's blog post together, at least to let your kids know what's waiting for them when you do get that dog:  

Despite spending 19 months in prison for running an illegal interstate dog fighting business, Vick hasn't expressed a shred of empathy toward the dogs he brutalized and killed. And rather than talk about the horrors of dog fighting, he has consistently chosen to focus on the consequences of getting caught. In a nutshell, his actions are self-serving. We've seen little remorse and even less compassion. And let's not forget, he caused unspeakable suffering to hundreds of innocent dogs. Frankly, the ASPCA has serious concerns about Vick's ability to be a responsible pet parent.

(Lucas and Mel are just two of the "Vicktory Dogs" seized from Michael Vick and placed with the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. Photos by Gary Kalpakoff for Best Friends.)

Michael Vick, of course, has owned a lot of dogs in his life -- 13 dead, 51 seized from Bad Newz Kennels in 2007, with 47 ultimately surviving after being rehabilitated at places like Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, who took in 22.

We should remember these dogs, who have names like Jasmine, Ellen, Sweet Pea, Hector, Uba, Lucas, Oscar, Zippy, Teddles, Handsome Dan, Ray, Gracie, Harriet, Ginger, and Jonny Justice. Some work as therapy dogs, visiting cancer patients and working with children and the elderly; some live on farms and in sanctuaries, running free; others compete in agility contests and work to achieve their Canine Good Citizen certifications; some travel to schools, educating kids about animal welfare; and many are in forever homes, curled safely on the couch.

And some of them are still wounded, trying to recover from what happened to them, when a group of men abused them and beat them and trained them to kill other dogs. One of these men now wants another dog -- for his kids.  

Are you okay with Michael Vick having another dog? Or does it feel like a knife in your gut? Let us know in the comments.

So as Dogster asked their readers, I ask you... What do you think?  Does this sit well with you or does it make your stomach turn in a knot?

I will tell you that for me, I am not okay with this.  When you break down what you have to do to a dog to teach them to fight or rather kill another dog, it is disgusting!  When you think about the pain and suffering those dogs went through that were killed at the hands of Vick in the barbaric way that they were, it is horrifying!  I am aware that there were other workers, but it was Vick's place, he knew, he was responsible. 

Give us a bark and tell us what you think.