Sep 11 Written by:admin
9/11/2007 Q: Do you think animal welfare should encourage or accept any overtures by Michael Vick to speak out against dog fighting? A: I would be happy to hear Michael Vick—or anyone else, for that matter—speak out against dog fighting, providing that the overture is sincere. What I wouldn’t want to see is any leniency granted Michael Vick or his co-defendants in the case. The strongest anti-dog fighting message that we can hope for is a stiff prison sentence and other court mandated penalties. That will speak more loudly about society’s abhorrence for this cruel crime than anything Michael Vick can say. I think that most of us in the animal protection community would agree that the exposure this high profile case has been, in the end, helpful. Many people who were unaware of the problem now know how cruel and widespread dog fighting is, even in their own communities. I especially hope that law enforcement officials will start to take this crime more seriously and take a zero-tolerance approach to combating it from now on. I would never go so far as to say that I am grateful to Michael Vick. But sometimes there are “silver linings,” and in the ongoing struggle to protect animals from cruelty, abuse, and harm, those of us who care have to take advantage of every available opportunity. The animals depend on us to do just that.
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