The suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback could have been sentenced up to five years by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Vick, who turned himself in Nov. 19 in anticipation of his sentence, was wearing a black-and-white striped prison suit. After Vick apologized to the court and his family, Hudson told him: “You need to apologize to the millions of young people who looked up to you.”

“Yes, sir,” Vick answered.

Vick acknowledged he used “poor judgment” and added, “I’m willing to deal with the consequences and accept responsibility for my actions.”

Federal rules governing time off for good behavior could reduce Vick’s prison stay by about three months, resulting in a summer 2009 release.

Before the hearing started, Michael Vick’s brother, Marcus Vick, sat with his right arm around their mother, comforting her as she buried her head in her hands and wept.

Vick pleaded guilty in August, admitting he bankrolled the “Bad Newz Kennels” dogfighting operation and helped kill six to eight dogs. He has been held at a jail in Warsaw, Va., since he voluntarily began serving his sentence.

In a plea agreement, he admitted bankrolling the dogfighting ring on his 15-acre property in rural southeastern Virginia and helping kill pit bulls that did not perform well in test fights. He also admitted providing money for bets on the fights but said he never shared in any winnings.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank called the sentencing “another step in his legal journey.”

“This is a difficult day for Michael’s family and for a lot of us, including many of our players and fans who have been emotionally invested in Michael over the years,” Blank said.

“We sincerely hope that Michael will use this time to continue to focus his efforts on making positive changes in his life, and we wish him well in that regard.”

At a news conference after pleading guilty last summer, Vick apologized to the NFL, the Falcons and youngsters who viewed him as a role model and vowed: “I will redeem myself.”

Court papers revealed gruesome details about Vick’s dogfighting operation, including the execution of underperforming dogs by electrocution, drowning, hanging and other means. Those details prompted a public backlash against the once-popular NFL star and outraged animal-rights groups, which used the case to call attention to the brutality of dogfighting.

Vick was suspended without pay by the NFL and lost all his lucrative endorsement deals.

Two of Vick’s co-defendants were sentenced Nov. 30. Purnell Peace of Virginia Beach got 18 months, Quanis Phillips of Atlanta 21 months. Another co-defendant, Tony Taylor, will be sentenced Friday.

The case began in April when a drug investigation of Vick’s cousin led authorities to the former Virginia Tech star’s Surry County property, where they found dozens of pit bulls — some of them injured — and equipment associated with dogfighting.

Vick initially denied any knowledge about dogfighting on the property. He changed his story after the three co-defendants pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the government.

By 8 a.m. Monday, about 50 people were in line outside the courthouse waiting for the doors to open. About two dozen animal rights activists stood across the street holding posters showing injured pit bulls and the messages, “Report Dogfighters” and “Dogs Deserve Justice.”

“We want to make sure the focus on the animals in this case isn’t lost,” said Dan Shannon, spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Julia Novak arrived with her small beagle, Frankie, who wore a sandwich board with the message on one side: “Dogfighters use dogs like me for bait.”

For more information, please click on the link titled ”Taking Action” on the right side of this screen.

Great job Kim!!!! (and thanks for the valuable tip)

To request posters, please visit www.hsus.org.

In an article by Fox News, Memphis, Tenn., ”Police have arrested three adults and two juveniles after receiving a tip that there were dog fights on Ball Road near Memphis International Airport.  Police arrived on the scene around 7 p.m. and confiscated 6 adult dogs and several puppies, all with fresh and old wounds.”

Keep up the good work animal lovers!

Every tip we give to police saves lives.

Beginning September 1, 2007, the penalty for dog fighting increases from a Class A misdemeanor to a state jail felony and the punishment for attending a dog fighting exhibition increases from a Class C misdemeanor to a Class A misdemeanor. 

The SPCA of Texas (Society for The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is also offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any individual involved in dog fighting.

Great job Texas!!!!

For more information, please visit http://www.spca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Stop_Dog_Fighting.

Dear Dog Lovers,

After seeing videos about professional dogfights following the arrest of Michael Vick, my heart has been very grieved knowing that this cruel blood sport is growing in popularity throughout the world.

As I viewed photographs of wounded dogs on the internet, I literally sobbed wondering, “Is there anything I can do to help??”, then the power of the internet came to me, which lead me to creating this Blog.

Through this site, it is my hope to educate animal lovers throughout the world about dogfighting and share how we can help put a STOP to these inhumane crimes.

Before I continue, please read this clip from an article in Newsweek:

July 18, 2007 – Minnie, a brown pit bull-boxer mix with white feet, was tied to a tree when she was a puppy and repeatedly attacked by other dogs as part of a dogfight-training exercise in Louisville, Ky. She was rescued after her abusers fled and left her for dead, her torn flesh riddled with infections. Today, a year and a half later, Minnie has a huge saddle-shaped scar under the fur on her back, and she’s terrified of tall men and large dogs. Her adoptive parents, Megan and Greg Crabb, spent weeks nursing her back to health. “I cried every time I had to clean her,” Megan recounted to Newsweek. “She was covered in deep bite marks.”

That’s one story of a rescued dog, but most fighting dogs aren’t so lucky.  Those that don’t die of injuries suffered in the ring breed more fighting dogs, “and their puppies enter an ugly world where survival of the fittest is not just a cliché.” (Newsweek).

SO WHAT IS A PROFESSIONAL DOGFIGHT? 

Dogfighting is a sadistic “contest” in which two dogs—specifically bred and trained to fight—are placed in a pit (generally a small arena enclosed by plywood walls) to fight each other for the spectators’ entertainment and gambling.

Fights average nearly an hour in length and often last more than two hours. Dogfights end when one of the dogs will not or cannot continue. In some cases, when a dog loses a fight, some owners become so “angry”, that they immediately kill their dog by strangulation, setting them on fire, or with a gun.

The injuries inflicted and sustained by dogs participating in fights are frequently severe, even fatal.  Dogs used in these events often die of blood loss, shock, dehydration, exhaustion, or infection hours or even days after the fight.

To view photos of injured dogs, I have added a link to the right of this screen titled “Photos of wounded dogs”, but please beware that some of the photographs are very graphic and viewer discretion is advised.

I viewed them so I would know what truly goes on in dogfights, but for respect to my readers, I will never post graphic photos on this site.  Photos can only be viewed by finding the link mentioned above.

But wounds inflicted during fights are only part of the cruelty that occurs in dogfighting.  Puppies that are being raised to fight are often chained to trees and attacked by larger dogs so they will become aggressive; dogs are beaten, starved, have bumblebees placed in their food to sting their gums, and several other “inhumane” acts.  Small dogs and animals found through “free to good home” ads and stolen from yards, are also being used as bait to train dogs how to attack.

And if you think only pit bulls are being used in fights, think again.  I’ve seen photos involving sheperds, labradors and mutts as well.

Professional dog-fighting is a vicious blood sport – and needs to be stopped!!!

So how can we help??

By telling other animal lovers about this site so we can all keep an eye on activities in our neighborhoods, where possible dog-fights could be taking place.  The more people we have reporting activity in various areas, the more dog-fight operations that will be shut down.

And with each operation that is shut down, more dogs will be saved.

As stated in an article posted by scnow.com, Attorney General Henry McMaster of South Carolina and Dr. Bob Carlson of the Human Society agree the general public can be a huge help in stopping this crime.  “When you see something, you need to say something,” McMaster said.

So here’s some things to look out for:

1.  Neighbors that have dogs or puppies tied to a tree (as in Minnie’s case).  If you see suspicious activity, contact your local police.

2.  Neighbors that own dogs and have unusual activity taking place at their home (various people coming over in the evenings, pieces of plywood lying around in the yard (which is often used as walls of a fight ring).

3.  Heavy chains, treadmills, pits or rings that could be used for fighting.

4.  Suspicious barking or noises coming from a wooded area.

5.  Unusual activity near a home, alley, warehouse, abandoned home or building.

If you see suspicious activity in any of these areas, please contact your local police.

One person can’t stop arranged dogfights, but together - we CAN make a difference.

Aren’t these animals worth it???

For more information about dog fighting, please see the Dogfighting Fact Sheet by the Humane Society and the Newsweek article under “Blogroll”.

And please check back for updates to encourage us in this effort.

Sincerely,

Missy D, Help Save Dogs