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Dogs win

July 9, 2008 12:15 am

FORMER Atlanta Falcons star quarterback Michael Vick has filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11. His career derailed by convictions on federal charges related to running a dog-fighting ring, Vick is broke. The bankruptcy filing says that his assets are between $10 million and $50 million, and his debts are in the same range. He's now serving a 23-month sentence in Leavenworth.

Meanwhile, the 49 pit bulls seized from Vick's Bad Newz Kennel in Surry County are living the high life. Many experts said that the former fighting dogs should be euthanized, but, instead, a judge ordered each dog individually evaluated. As a result, only one was deemed too vicious to help; another had to be put down because it was sick.

In fact, the disbursal of the Bad Newz Kennel has been Good Newz for the dogs and researchers, who are studying the pits to find out just if and how these gladiators can be rehabilitated.

Of the 47 surviving dogs, 22 are at an animal sanctuary in Utah, and 25 went to foster homes. One is now a gentle therapy dog, another is in training for "flying disc" competitions, and others have happily adapted to family life, reports The Washington Post.

So far, so good. Pit bulls are not an easy breed and it takes careful, responsible, intelligent handling to keep their aggression in check. This, sadly, was the opposite of the Vick approach. Let's hope he learns as much at Leavenworth as the pit bulls learned in their new lives.