Saturday, October 18, 2008

Michael Vick's in prison, but where in the world are his dogs?

If you are like me and not smart enough to even think about watching the National Geographic Channel, you probably missed the season opening episode of Dogtown, which was called "Saving Michael Vick's Dogs."

According the National Geographic Channel, 22 dogs formerly owned by the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick are, like their former owner, all fenced in. Vick is in Kansas. The 22 dogs, which are nearly half the surviving dogs from the Vick household, are in the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah, where they arrived Jan. 2. The sanctuary is attempting to rehabilitate the pit bulls. Another 25 dogs were split up between six other dog rescuers.

Like I said, the National Geographic Channel has a show called "Dogtown." The episode that focuses on four of the Vick dogs aired in early September, but here is the channel's web site's description of each of the four dogs:
    Meryl
    Initial diagnosis: Fearful of strangers, Meryl may lash out when meeting a new person if not properly introduced.

    Georgia (right)
    Initial diagnosis:
    When I met Georgia, she was very aloof with people, demonstrated food guarding issues and was aggressive to other dogs.

    Denzel
    Initial diagnosis:
    One of the things I immediately noticed about Denzel was his energy level. I know from experience that dogs with energy need plenty of exercise, so we would need to include exercise as part of the training program for Denzel. He would also need a lot of mental and physical stimulation, and we would also have to establish boundaries early on.

    Cherry
    Initial diagnosis:
    Shy and undersocialized, Cherry flattens to the ground when on a leash and doesn’t want to walk.
The National Geographic Channel's web site also offers a description of the dog's training program and present status.

Most of the Vick dogs will remain in the sanctuary for the rest of their lives. One of the video clips on the site reports: "It appears to the staff that most have not been walked on a lease, been groomed, or even experienced affection."

It's unclear when the episode featuring the Vick dogs will run again, but here's a video clip from earlier in the year about the show.

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