10 January 2008

Vick Dogs Arrive at Best Friends Sanctuary

If you've been following the Michael Vick story from the summer, I'm sure you're wondering about what happened to the dogs. There's been lots of news about the man but what will happened to those poor pups? Recently, 22 of the 44 dogs arrived at the Best Friends sanctuary in Southern Utah where they will be cared for, rehabilitated and hopefully placed in loving homes.

Chief executive officer Paul Berry said the Vick dogs "deserve the very best that we can give them. Best Friends has been given the opportunity to do what it does best – provide a caring, rehabilitative home for these abused, homeless animals. We have prepared a safe place for them to stay for the rest of their lives."

"The pit bull is easily the most misunderstood breed of dog in the U.S. Unfortunately, it is the very loving and loyal nature of these dogs that makes them prone to exploitation."

These are very special dogs and Best Friends is taking extraordinary steps to ensure their safety and security, and to guarantee that these "celebrity" animals are never exploited again. That means taking steps to make sure that other dog fighters (or other people who just want to be able to say they adopted a Vick dog) don’t slip through our careful screening of adoption applicants.

If you want to read more about these dogs or follow their journey, the Best Friends web site has a blog dedicated to them.