Written by Alisa Mullins
It was a horrifying sight. The dog's bloated body was spotted off a pier behind a Newport News, Virginia, boatyard. The young black-and-white female pit bull had apparently drowned, as indicated by her clenched teeth and protruding tongue. But most chilling was that she likely hadn't wound up in the water by accident: Tied to her red-and-black harness was an 11-pound weight that looked like the head of a sledgehammer. This dog was almost certainly thrown into the water and left to struggle for air until she could struggle no more.
Since the dog's body was found in the hometown of Michael Vick's "Bad Newz Kennels," where dogfighting and pit bull abuse are still serious problems, we can't help but fear the worst: that she was bred, trained, and/or used for fighting; either wasn't "game," lost a fight, or got sick; and was meant to "retire" at the bottom of the James River.
As we learned from the Michael Vick case, unwanted "fighting dogs" are often killed in the most horrific ways. Vick and his cohorts admitted to hanging, shooting, electrocuting, drowning, and slamming to the ground dogs who didn't "perform" well.
While we may never know if this dog was used for fighting, we do know that someone did not want her body to be found. A necropsy report indicates that she suffered a shattered rib, probably inflicted by the heavy weight when she was thrown into the water. She had recently given birth and may have experienced complications.
We are offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this heinous crime.
What You Can Do
If you ever suspect anyone of participating in dogfighting, alert authorities immediately. Dogfighting is a felony in all 50 states and is often associated with other serious crimes, including domestic violence, gang activity, and illegal drugs, firearms, and gambling. Signs of dogfighting include the presence of multiple pit bulls chained up in a backyard and paraphernalia such as treadmills and heavy logging chains.
Written by Jeff Mackey
If he had any shame or decency, federally convicted dog murderer Michael Vick wouldn't dream of suggesting that it is somehow "unfair" (his word) to suggest that he shouldn't have another dog. But now he's out in TV Land promoting a book and expressing his desire to give his son a dog. Perhaps he'd have a hard time explaining to his son what Daddy did with the last "pet" dogs who lived in the house: Vick threw them into the fighting pit and laughed his head off while they were torn apart.
A suspected victim of dogfighting whom PETA staffers were able to rescue with the help of local law enforcement officials.
Since PETA was instrumental in efforts to make sure that Vick's crimes were taken seriously, people naturally want to know our opinion of Vick's hopes of getting his hands on another dog. As PETA's president, Ingrid E. Newkirk, who met privately with Vick when he attended our animal empathy course following his 2007 arrest, expressed it:
PETA knows from firsthand experience that Michael Vick is a selfish man and a proven liar, probably a psychopath, who, if he had one grain of remorse, would never go near another dog as long as he lives. All things considered, it is a very small price to pay, especially compared to the suffering endured by the dogs who were abused and killed at the Bad Newz Kennels. Michael Vick lied to my face about how he loved his pet dogs and didn't see them as the same as the dogs he forced to fight to the death. That was before it was revealed that he threw those dogs into the pit—and laughed while they were torn apart. Just as convicted pedophiles aren't allowed free access to children, anyone who is responsible for hanging, electrocuting, and shooting dogs and who caused them to suffer in other unimaginable ways should never again be allowed to be within 50 feet of a dog.
PETA knows from firsthand experience that Michael Vick is a selfish man and a proven liar, probably a psychopath, who, if he had one grain of remorse, would never go near another dog as long as he lives. All things considered, it is a very small price to pay, especially compared to the suffering endured by the dogs who were abused and killed at the Bad Newz Kennels.
Michael Vick lied to my face about how he loved his pet dogs and didn't see them as the same as the dogs he forced to fight to the death. That was before it was revealed that he threw those dogs into the pit—and laughed while they were torn apart.
Just as convicted pedophiles aren't allowed free access to children, anyone who is responsible for hanging, electrocuting, and shooting dogs and who caused them to suffer in other unimaginable ways should never again be allowed to be within 50 feet of a dog.
Vick needs to teach his children that actions have consequences, that people who can't be trusted with animals shouldn't have any, and that it's important to take responsibility for our choices and to make better choices going forward—like not getting another dog. First, he'd have to learn those lessons himself.
PETA continues to make strides against the hideous cruelty of animal fighting. Learn more about dogfighting and how you can help stop this merciless blood sport.
Written by PETA
Earlier this week, Florida resident Willie Bell turned down a plea deal of three years in prison for a felony charge of cruelty to animals. Not smart: Now Bell faces five years in prison, and if he's convicted, he deserves every second of it. According to police, Bell tied a 30-pound dumbbell around a dog's neck, placed the dog in the water 25 yards off shore, and forced him to swim for his life. Blackie, the 2-year-old pit bull mix, was rescued after a witness saw him struggling and called police.
When PETA heard about this case, we immediately contacted the local police department, since dogfighters often train dogs by forcing them to tread water. Fortunately, the investigation turned up no evidence of dogfighting, and Blackie is now back with his guardian, Bell's cousin, who was reportedly horrified to learn about Bell's alleged actions.
Pit bulls are the most abused dogs in dogdom. Because of their "macho" image, pit bulls are the breed of choice for thugs, gangs, drug dealers, and dogfighters. But we can all help stop this cycle of abuse. Speak out against negative media depictions that perpetuate the image of pit bulls as fighting machines. And please, if you see an animal in danger, contact your local police department immediately.
Written by Paula Moore
"Sugar" Shane Mosley and Manny Pacquiao are ready to duke it out in the ring on May 7, and we have to admit, we're sweet on "Sugar" Shane. They both have undeniable talent and awesome nicknames, but Mosley has an advantage: Dogs are pulling for him. "Sugar" Shane showed where his moniker comes from when he denounced dogfighting in a public service announcement for PETA.
We're sure Pacman knows that real men fight their own battles and leave dogs out of it, but we have to root for the sweet taste of success for "Sugar" Shane and his canine friends this round.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
PETA supporters have spoken, and they don't want Michael Vick on the cover of Madden NFL 2012. In the final round of ESPN's video-game cover contest, Vick lost out to the Cleveland Browns' Peyton Hillis.
Hillis' win is a victory for everyone who didn't want to send the message to the millions of children playing the game that someone who has fought dogs is acceptable cover material.
To continue taking a stand against dogfighting, please contact the Android marketing team and ask it to stop offering the cruel Dog Wars app.
The developer of the Android phone's new game apparently has a heart like a robot too. Kage Games, LLC, touts its Dog Wars app as "a game that will never be in the iPhone App store." And for good reason. Dog Wars encourages people to train virtual dogs to fight to the death and challenge other phone users to "dogfights." Alicia Silverstone was so appalled when she heard about the app that she wrote a letter to the CEO of Google, maker of the Android, and Kage Games, asking that they pull the game right away:
"As a mom-to-be and someone who has adopted and loved rescued pit bulls, I join PETA's millions of members in imploring you to cancel this game immediately. If one dog dies as a result of this game, you will not forgive yourself."
Dogfighting is so cruel that it is a felony in all 50 states, but underground dogfighting continues, and the Dog Wars game does nothing but encourage this violence against dogs and other animals.
You can help by contacting the Android market team and politely asking it to stop selling this sadistic "game."
The Super Bowl is over, but NFL players are still going head-to-head in an EA Sports competition to determine who will be the face of the next Madden video game. Fans pick their favorite player from each matchup in the bracket, and the player with the most votes advances to the next round. One of the 16 players remaining in the competition is convicted dogfighter Michael Vick.
Do we really want to heap accolades on someone who hanged, electrocuted, drowned, and shot dogs? Is the Madden cover spot only about athletics and nothing about being a decent person? Considering that millions of children are likely to scoop up the new video game, featuring a convicted dogfighter on the cover will send the dangerous message to them that they can commit the most heinous acts of cruelty to animals and still be celebrated and revered.
Let's not send that message. Throw your support to Andre Johnson by voting for him every day until the round ends on April 3. There are still three more voting rounds to go, so please keep voting in the next rounds to make sure cruelty to animals doesn't pay.
Yes, you read that right. The guy whose name has become synonymous with hanging, electrocuting, drowning, and shooting dogs and forcing them to rip each other to pieces in dogfighting rings is now bemoaning the fact that he can't have a canine companion.
No need for immediate concern. Vick has been banned from owning dogs for three years as part of his probation. PETA believes that no one who abuses dogs as Vick did should ever be allowed to have access to vulnerable animals again. And really, being prohibited from experiencing the unconditional love of a dog is a tiny price to pay—much smaller than the ultimate price paid by the dogs Vick abused and killed at Bad Newz Kennels.
Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post
In light of news that Amazon.com has stopped selling a manual for pedophiles after a massive public outcry, PETA fired off a letter asking the online bookseller to protect other vulnerable beings by refusing to sell products that promote cruelty to animals, such as books on dogfighting and cockfighting.
Right now, anyone can visit Amazon.com and easily purchase books such as The Art of Cockfighting: A Handbook for Beginners and Old Timers and Dogs of Velvet and Steel, which encourage people to participate in cruel and illegal animal fighting—and which even show them how to do it. Dogs of Velvet and Steel advises readers, "These dogs will continue fighting even though most of their ear or a section of their mouth has been chewed off—or a leg rendered inoperable" and "[T]he pit bull is capable of taking a lot. It's not cruel to them; it's fun."
I think this dog would beg to differ!
Will Amazon do the right thing and drop these torture manuals? We'll keep you posted. In the meantime, let's make sure Amazon knows that it's unacceptable to sell products that promote violence against any living being.
With the passing of Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, animals and the people who care about them have lost a longstanding and true friend. The senior senator, who was a meat cutter in his youth, evolved into a tireless advocate for animals.
Sen. Byrd's soft spot for animals, fueled by his love for his little dog, Billy, was as legendary as the passionate speeches he often made on their behalf. No one who saw it can forget the speech he gave in response to the Michael Vick scandal, in which he condemned dogfighting as "Barbaric! Hear me! Barbaric!"
In 2001, Byrd gave a moving speech in defense of a bill addressing cruelty to farmed animals, saying,
"Our inhumane treatment of livestock is becoming widespread and more and more barbaric. Six-hundred-pound hogs—they were pigs at one time—raised in 2-foot-wide metal cages called gestation crates, in which the poor beasts are unable to turn around or lie down in natural positions, and this way they live for months at a time. … These creatures feel; they know pain. They suffer pain just as we humans suffer pain."
A year later, Sen. Byrd led an effort to convince the Senate Appropriations Committee to provide $5 million—a record amount—for improving enforcement of the Humane Slaughter Act.
In 2005, Sen. Byrd coauthored the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, which would prohibit the transport, purchase, and sale of horses for human consumption. Versions of the bill, now called The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, have been introduced every year since then, but have yet to pass both houses. As a tribute to Sen. Byrd, please urge your U.S. representatives to at last pass this important law.
PETA named Sen. Byrd our 2007 "Person of the Year" to recognize his defense of animals throughout six decades of public service. Sen. Byrd gave a powerful voice to those with none of their own. His passionate and inspiring dedication to helping animals will be sorely missed.
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
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