Does this proposed legislation really have any meaning?  Is it enforceable and will it be enforced?  Is it even constitutional unless the attendees have crossed state lines?

Wow, can it be possible that Wayno and HSUS made yet another mistake?  Hope somebody besides the Philadephia cops will notice this particular gaffe?

It’s a shame.  All of this is the result of an Eagles’ PR campaign to prevent damage control of their image for re-hiring Vick.  This convicted dog fighter can still play football.  That’s all the Eagles owner cares about.

Unless Vick is personally responsible for the dog fighting increase (i.e. setting it up and/or funding it) how can you blame him for other peoples actions. If he has truly reformed himself then the blame is not on him but rather it is on the people actually committing the crimes. We need to stop blaming one person for other peoples actions. I do believe, however, that HSUS is using this to gain notoriety to further mislead people about their true agenda.

This man has been caught at a horrific crime against animals..  He has done his prison sentence.  He is dedicating his time to helping the cause of which he participated in horrific cruelty to animals.  With that said, at what point does this society understand the profound importance of reconciliation ..... at what point does a person have the right to make clear moves toward reclaiming themselves and their life’s journey…. Mr. Vick’s profession is a professional football player.  He did not walk away from this without the society punishment put in place for his crimes.  He must live with himself each and every day ....we as a society do not need to place so much energy on him or any other individual who makes horrific life choices…particularly ones that affect others…. but when are we as a society going to understand that forgiveness and healing is the answer to taking the next higher step .... that leads us all to peace and love…..getting back at or the exertion of so much negative hateful energy toward anyone is not the answer…. take that energy and walk or bring joy to a homeless animal… bring blankets .... food… and treats to your local dog pound…. support legislation that can address the problem of dog fighting….volunteer your time to a worth cause in your community… discus and network that with your neighbors.. not hate .... revenge… and negativity…. that just continues to identify the problem and breed hatred toward our fellow man…. what good is coming from defaming Mr. Vick for the rest of his life’s journey???? I too am an animal lover…. When I read about this horrific incident I was appalled…. and angry that this type of thing could ever be in existence in our society…. but at this point…. i pray that Mr. Vick being a public figure would bring much more awareness to this terrible problem… and raising awareness in a positive direction for a cause is a good thing… why can’t this society take something bad…. and allow the problem solving help to be the focus not bashing or continuing the rage and fueling violence against a person who has been violent… is that what we teach our children???? our society???? violence begets violence…. put all your negative energy in making sure this horrific behavior and cruelty stops….. now that would help our planet…<3

Why does the HSUS think he should be paraded around as an advocate for humane treatment when he has already proven he definitely is not…...Get a grip, people

This is a slap in the face to all the animals that suffered from this mans cruelty. HSUS should have never made any type of deal with him. He is only sorry he got caught. If he hadn’t been caught he would still be participating in dog fighting today.

Vick did not spend one minute in jail for animal torture or abuse! He spent time in jail for racketeering. He has NOT paid for what he did to those poor dogs, and he’s only sorry he got caught. Anyone who consciously inflicts pain, abuse and death on another living being has NO business being a spokesperson for an organization that fights against everything Vick did. HSUS, you are disappointing! My money goes to ASPCA, who rightfully so, declined Vick’s “publicity” partnership. My time goes to various shelters around the bay area to train dogs to find forever homes. Vick? He talks, because he’s ordered to by the court, and he’s looking for his next “look at me and how I’ve changed” publicity gig. I seriously doubt a black heart like that can ever really change.

I’ve read Lost Dogs detailing his involvement and cannot stick my head in the sand about it.  I work at a wildlife center and am all too familiar with euthanasia, however, I cannot help but wonder if God is ok with us taking the life of one of his creatures and we only do it when it is not possible to rehab the animal and it is the most humane option. I work with hunters and ranchers and although the hunters kill animals for sport, (they do eat their prey - for the record), and ranchers have to at times put an animal down, they would never do anything to harm an animal or torture them. Michael Vick did willingly torture and kill animals for years. Whether or not it is shouted from the rooftops is not the issue. The issue is only a certain type of person can do this to any living creature, someone missing something very fundamental. Vick supporters want to convince themselves because he’s been blessed with football talent, that is indicative of his character, make up and moral compass. One has nothing to do with the other.  Jail doesn’t heal that. His soul will never find redemption. Martin Luther King Jr., said it best, “Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.” Martin Luther King Jr.

Laeger911, aren’t you familiar with the fact that people copy celebrities? You need look no farther than the popularity of purse dogs - thank you Paris Hilton and friends. Why do you think celebrities appear in endorsements? Michael Vick is the cool guy on the block, livin’ the life - and people are going to emulate that. We can’t put all the blame on Michael Vick, but there are far too many weak-minded people in this society who want to be just like Vick, right down to the string of fighting dogs.

For Sandra L. forgiveness requires that the person repent of their crimes. Vick has to start the cycle of “healing and forgiveness” by showing repentence for what he did. HSUS didn’t bother to wait for true repentence, HSUS sold their ethics to burnish his image, which makes HSUS complicit in the increase in dog fighting that we are currently seeing.

I don’t spend my time hating Vick, I think of him as a pariah that should be ignored by society until he shows remorse for what he did. So far he hasn’t. That doesn’t stop me from continuing my work with animals (it’s possible to do two things at once). Doing behavioral evaluations, moving dogs from shelter to rescue, offering training help for retention, doing transports, spending money out of my own pocket for shelter supplies, raising funds for our local shelter and volunteering there.

I want my children to learn that their actions have consequences, not a slap on the wrist like Vick got before resuming his fabulously wealthy life style, which is showing a spike in dog fighting being “cool” again, because Vick is “cool”. Support Vick and you support dog fighting, and no true animal lover can do either.

When asked if Vick could change anything in his life, in a video interview, Vick’s response was, “A shorter prison sentence”.  This crap about him being a changed person is all scripted from his PR agent.  Vick could care less, he’s just doing what he is told.  There is no meaning nor intent to do anything that he has “said” about stopping dog fighting.

Well said, Michelle.  Yes, hunters kill animals (whether for trophy or food), but they do NOT torture them; they try for a single, clean, fatal shot so no suffering is involved.  If they do miscalculate and wound an animal, most will track that animal and put it out of its misery.  I’ve even seen stories from hunters who saw wounded animals that for whatever reason another hunter didn’t finish the job who sacrificed their ‘tag’ to end that animal’s suffering, even though the meat would be useless. They do it because it’s the humane thing to do for the injured animal.  They don’t WANT to inflict pain/torture like Vick has admitted he tried for.

Hmmm…  i suppose if Stalin just went around to all different countries and told the dictators that even though he had millions of people murdered that they shouldnt be like him then everything will be ok.

WOW, I can only assume that you folks who are talking about forgiveness and second chances and repentance do not even REMOTELY comprehend the seriousness of what he did to those dogs. It was soooooooo much more than dog fighting. With his own two hands, he brutally tortured many dogs to death over the course of his decade PLUS in dog-fighting. He tossed them in a pool and electrocuted them. He hung them by the neck from trees. He bashed their heads in with shovels. He held their heads in the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket until they drowned. And he and a buddy, one holding the back legs and one the front, swung a dog up and out like a jumprope and slammed it down onto concrete, over and over again, until it was nothing but a purple, bloody bag of broken bones. They buried some of the dogs alive. And they thought it was FUN. Seriously? Reform? Repentance? A second chance? I bet you let child-rapers babysit your kids too. Michael Vick was assessed by professionals in the field of psychology before he was released from jail. He easily cleared the hurdle of qualification as a PSYCHOPATH. Psychopathology does not do “remorse”. It hasn’t the capacity to feel empathy. It does not just go away because the psychopath says it did. Psychopaths are masters of manipulation and they are dishonest through and through if they think it will get them what they want. This is not just a bunch of dog-lovers saying this. It is not a bunch of handwringing animal rights extrmeists who would hold the same grudge against someone who didn’t clip their dog’s toenails often enough. Everything I have relayed above is what was found by the veterinarians and teams who dug the dogs up and did the autopsies, and by mental health professionals. You folks need to wake up. NOW.

I recently read a wishy-washy, unexpected piece of journalistic excrement by Cesar Milan, sounding like a lot of you Vick apologists. Although the words were there on the page, I just got this sense while reading them that Milan was barely able to keep from puking as he wrote them. BUT ... write them he did, and I’m guessing I know why. I’ll make a prediction right here and now. My bet is that Milan is being pressured to be the next level of whitewash over the bloody stain. Pacelle got a ton of flack when he floated the “Vick would be a good dog owner” balloon, so the puppetmasters figure it’s going to take a bigger, more popular gun to accomplish the whitewashing. Vick is legally free to own a dog again in Nov. 2012. I predict that Cesar is being positioned to be his next champion and apologist, and it is going to happen very publicly—on Cesar’s TV show. In one episode, maybe more, the two will appear together, with Cesar “counseling” Michael Vick about appropriate dog care and handling. That’s just how they’ll sell it too. Watch for the news blurbs and the talking heads on ESPN to actually refer to it as “counseling”. And at least one Dog Whisperer show is going to be nothing but a staged, smarmy photo op for Vick, Cesar, and Vick’s new dog—a pit bull. The PR scumbags are thinking yeah, great, that will fix EVERYTHING. And Michael Vick is going to slide right back into pit bull ownership like a greased pig. You watch. I’m tempted to take bets, since the most it will get me is a slap on the wrist. Oh. No. Wait. I’m not a famous athlete with coat-tails to ride all the way to Rich-ville. Nix that idea. But mark my words about how the Cesar Milan/Michael Vick deal is going to unfold, nonetheless.

I will no longer donate to HSUS as long as you are promoting Michael Vick and his reformed character. I was shocked to read he is associated with HSUS!

I’m confused, if a child is brought up in a household full of gang activity and one day he becomes a gang member, is he not categorized as a product of his environment? If your kids are outside playing kickball you would shrug your shoulders and say they’re playing and doing what kids do. But if they’re dog fighting, thats not what YOUR kids do but this does happen, which is apparent from Vick’s situation. Do anyone bother to see who else was involved, his family.

So you can sit their in your ivory towers and look down upon him with disgust, and I completely agree with you. He viciously fought dogs and killed them. Do you think he thought of these ideas on his own, is he pioneer, the first….not even close. When he was caught some of the NFL players were interviewed, majority of which said they didn’t even know that was a crime. What does that tell you?

All of the people that commented on this article wouldn’t last a second on the streets down south, not because of their color but because of their inability to grasp street smarts. You do as they do, don’t ask questions, don’t show weakness because the second you do, you lose. By the way, I’m a white male that lives in the burbs and I do pharmaceutical marketing…just in case someone wants to pull the race card and/or falsely accuse me of being uneducated.

Just an FYI, Vick went to jail for tax evasion, not dog fighting. Maybe you should vote for harsher punishments to dog fighting. Lastly, if sending a person to jail means that their is no hope for rehabiliation, then why do we even bother sending them? Thanks for reading.