THE BAD NEWZ CASE remains unique in that, unlike Michael Vick, most dogfighters do not have the resources to fund the care of the rescued dogs, but that does not diminish its impact. The Vick investigation and eventual plea cemented the idea for law enforcement agencies that going after dogfighters almost always leads to the arrest of those involved in other sorts of crimes, especially drug- and gun-related offenses. And going after dogfighters is popular, which could lead to more funding for such investigations and more momentum to pursue them.
In the summer of 2009, a multistate, multiagency long-term investigation led to what has been called the largest dogfighting bust in history. The ring was centered in St. Louis and ranged across seven states, and its downfall led to the arrest of almost thirty people and the confiscation of more than four hundred dogs. With the Vick case as a precedent, HSUS, ASPCA, and other rescue groups, including BAD RAP, attempted to individually evaluate each dog and to save as many of the stable and well-adjusted ones as possible. As hoped, the Vick investigation had not only shed light on the disturbing game of dogfighting, it had inspired action and begun to change the public view of pit bulls from perpetrators of violence to victims of it.
Still, it’s too soon to draw real conclusions. Many of the Vick dogs, as predicted, are doing very well, with little or no sign of lingering trauma. Others continue to struggle. Some still cannot be around other dogs and some do not fully trust people. It is possible that the worst may yet lay ahead. The Vick dogs are, after all, still simply dogs. Dogs of all breeds and backgrounds run into the street and get struck by cars, attack other dogs, and bite people every day. There are 4.7 million [5] dog bites recorded annually in the United States, which comes to something like twelve thousand a day. Dr. Frank McMillan, the director of well-being studies at Best Friends, who has been carefully tracking the twenty-two Vick dogs at the sanctuary since the day they arrived, says, “We don’t know yet. All the dogs have made progress, but we can’t say what it means, not only for this group of dogs but for other dogs from other fight operations. There’s still just not enough time or data.”
McMillan’s words might be somewhat disappointing for those seeking validation for the choices made, but, for better or worse, the picture will have to remain at least somewhat muddy for the time being. The truth is that the Vick case was unique, in that the available money and the notoriety presented an opportunity to do more than might otherwise have been done. It seems certain that some of the dogs saved from the Vick pack would have been put down in a different situation. That doesn’t make it right or wrong as much as it reinforces the notion that each situation, just like each dog, is unique. It remains to be seen if the Vick dogs are a fair representation of the kinds of dogs that are typically found in dogfighting operations. After all, only a handful were seasoned fighters, and many were just young goofy pooches that had led a life of deprivation.
That of course has been the point from the beginning of the effort to save the dogs-sweeping generalizations do not apply. From the start the rescuers argued that it was wrong to look at the group of fifty-one pit bulls saved from Vick’s yard and simply say “They’re irredeemable, do away with them.” No one would ever make any such sweeping statements about people.
The same goes for dogs. You cannot accurately assume that all the dogs saved from a fight bust are vicious and unstable or that all pit bulls are biting machines waiting for their chance to attack. It may be easier and less expensive to think that way, but it’s not true. Yes, if pit bulls attack, they’re equipped to do the job well-they’re strong, agile, and determined-and they may even have some genetic inclination to be aggressive toward other dogs, but nurture plays as big a role as nature and every dog is different.
The most important legacy of the Vick dogs may be the idea that all dogs must be evaluated individually. Not as Vick dogs, or fighting dogs or pit bulls, but as Jasmine and Alf and Zippy. In this regard, those forty-two dogs that remain from the Bad Newz family may no longer go anywhere near a pit, but for each of them, just as it does for all of their kind and the people who advocate on their behalf, the fight continues.
<a l:href="#_ftnref5">[5]</a> According to a 1996 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (written by J. J. Sacks, M. Kresnow, and B. Houston). “Dog Bites: How Big a Problem?” Injury Prevention 2 (1996): 52-54.