Warning, this article contains graphic detail of the Micheal Vick case. The photographs shown are of the estate and dogs that were rescued from the Michael Vick case.
In April of 2007, 51 dogs were saved from their life of hell from the hands of NFL quarterback Micheal Vick. These dogs were raised, trained, and fought to fight other dogs to the death. They were manipulated to believe that this is what they were supposed to do and they were manipulated by the humans who they would put down their lives for. Now, years later, these dogs are the faces of the new documentary entitled The Champions.
When the case was first uncovered, the whole nation was shocked and disturbed by the horrendous acts that were performed at Micheal Vick's Bad Newz Kennels. The dogs would be forced to fight each other to the death until they won. If they did not win, death was a sure given choice for these souls. As mentioned in the book The Lost Dogs, those who lived on the Virginia premise faced a sentence of death by either electrocution, hanging, drowning in a 5 gallon bucket, beaten, and many others. On the other hand, the loser could also face becoming what is known as a bait dog.
As dog fighters begin to train their dogs to fight, they tend to use what is called a bait dog to help the dog practice. This bait dog is usually a stray, stolen pet, or a loser of a fight that is tied up and lest defenseless in order to give the hopeful fighter confidence in the pit.
With the high profile that Micheal Vick held at the time, a lot of attention was focused on the case. For the first time, people began to ask "What about the dogs?" This would enlist the outgoing support of people and advocates of the breed to give these dogs a second chance at life instead of immediately being put down.
Of the 51, only two were put down. One due to illness, and the other due to aggression. Before this case, the "normal" protocol when concerning dogs from dog fighting cases was to put them down due to the thought of them being too aggressive or too scared from their past. But you don't put an abused human down, so why a dog? Thanks to these dogs, they became the first dogs of a fighting case to be given the first chance at a new life beyond the pit.
Now these dogs are having their voices heard again through the documentary film The Champions by Darcy Dennet. This documentary highlights 22 of the rehabilitated dogs from the case and how they are doing now. These dogs have turned into wonderful house pets, therapy dogs, and even an award winning agility dog. Imagine these lives being thrown away due to their past.
For more information on the incredible documentary, please visit the film's website at http://www.championsdocumentary.com/. If you would like to learn more about the Micheal Vick case, please consider purchasing the book The Lost Dogs by Jim Gorant. I have read the book myself and I HIGHLY recommend it. It will grab you and keep you until the end and by telling the case from beginning to end, you can be properly educated on the facts of the case. Now enjoy the trailer below for The Champions and please, always remember to love your dogs and never judge a pit by it's looks.
