The evening that I wrote my last blog, in which I was beyond livid, I sat home and watched about 6 hours of press coverage on this issue. And when I saw Jeff Lurie talking I could really sense that he felt the same way that I did. I could see that he really did need to be convinced that Vick was remorseful and was trying to do good. And I see now that his place on our team is conditional. Extremely contingent on his activities in our community and his pro-active abilities.

Seeing the look on Vick’s face while doing the press conferences, I can see that he feels like a real asshole. And it kind of stuck some sort of…sympathy chord in my heart. ugh, I hate that I am such a good person, really. I hate that I can have sympathy for someone like him. Do I think that everyone deserves a second chance? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Do I agree with having him on our team? Well…not really, but there’s nothing I can do about it, so I’m hoping that he proves himself to me.
But NOT with a win. I want him to prove himself to me as a compassionate human being and being active in my community and really helping with this problem.

I understand now that being raised in Newport News, people are kind of conditioned to this kind of activity. Not that that makes it right, but when I think about it, when I grew up there were a lot of things that were terrible that I was around, and I didn’t know any better to think that it was wrong. So, I guess he had me there.

I can’t be mad at Michael Vick for not having the sentence that I though he deserved. Although I don’t think that he “paid his dues to society“, he did what he was asked to do. Even heading to jail earlier than they asked him to. That takes some balls, and I actually respect that he did that. He completed the sentence that he was assigned to, and paid assloads of money. Of course many of us think that it should have been more and that his jail time should have been longer, he did what they told him to do. I can’t be mad at him for that, but rather at the people who created his sentence.

I watched his 60 Minutes interview the other day, and he looked pretty sincere. A lot of people mentioned to me that he looked like he was ready to crack a smile the whole time, but thats how I get when I’m really upset too. I smile, sometimes laugh. I don’t know why, I guess its nerves.

Like I said, I’m just going to have to wait and see what happens, and hope that this experience has made him a better person, and that he will make a difference now. If all those dogs had to die so that he could learn his lesson, and improve the lives of more dogs than he hurt…maybe he is doing something right. I know we can’t go back in time, well…for at least another hundred years (I’ll write another blog about that at another time), so I guess all we can do is deal with what we are handed and try to be the best person that we can be. And I really, truly hope that he does what he says he is going to do.

What could have been a great season

The Philadelphia Eagles went into training camp this year as one of the best teams in the NFL, on paper that is. Training camp began, and of course, injuries insued. A few of our star prospects were injured and we needed an offensive savior to pull us out of the deep end before the season started. So who do we pick…Michael fucking Vick. Sigh… oh Philadelphia, when will you ever learn? As if we don’t already have a bad wrap for the high crime rates in our city, lets add another villian to the bunch. During last night’s preseason game, after announcing Vick’s new spot on the team, the fans began chanting “who let the dogs out”. Another strike against us for being known as the worst fans in the NFL. For many years, I was proud to be an Eagles fan. I was proud to be from a town known for it’s violent and obsessed fans for all sports, but especially for football and hockey. Throwing car batteries onto the field, beating up other teams. I mean, we had to have a caged wall put into the Spectrum to prevent our hockey coach from fighting the other teams years ago. That, in my opinion, is hilarious and something to be proud of. Animal abuse, is something I have absolutely no tolerance for.

What kind of person lets this happen to their pet?

Money Talks and Pit Bulls Walk

Ok, so I’m doing my best here to listen to my mother’s advice and “not let one bad apple spoil the bunch” but COME ON! Do you people even know the whole story about Vick’s dog-fighting ring? As if the 130 million dollar contract he held previously wasn’t enough, he made money off of the deaths of innocent animals, $30-$40k per fight on these poor dogs. Michael Vick was not an innocent bystander to the fighting, he did not show up at events just to bet on dogs, they were his dogs, that he trained. He would have “test fights”, short fights to determine how the animal would hold up in an actual event, and dogs that failed to meet his expectations were killed, by him. The methods that he used were even worse than shooting them. They were drowned, had their bodies slammed onto the ground repeatedly, electrocuted, hanged… do you want me to keep going? During one incident, Vick killed 8 dogs in one sitting.

This is the person we want representing a great American past time? Bad Newz Kennels was more than bad news. It was horrifying. And Michael Vick held the fate of more than 2,000 dogs in his career as a dog-fighting ring leader.

Punish the Deed, Not the Breed

Many of you may be thinking, “Well Pit Bulls are aggressive dogs and will fight any dog you place in front of them” NOT TRUE. Dogs are a product of their upbringing, they learn this behavior. Pits are the most loyal, and loving dogs out there. They have such big hearts, and they will do ANYTHING to please their owner, because they just have so much love for them. And if it means fighting to the death, they will do it if it makes their owner happy. Just like a hunting dog will help a hunter, just like a seeing eye dog will help its owner find his/her way, a Pit Bull will help its owner to accomplish anything he needs.

Just to prove my point, every single dog that was apprehended from Vick’s residence by the animal humane law enforcement was adopted out to a family. Some dogs weren’t as lucky, and died from comlications due to their injuries and neglect. These dogs are not malicious. They were put into a situation where they had to fight for their life and to fight for their owner. I’m sure if they were given a chance to speak, they wouldn’t have chose that life.

Dog fighting is the worst form of animal abuse in my opinion. It is considered a felony in every state except Idaho and Wyomming. (I don’t know what the hell is going on in those states, but who cares about them anyway). Justice needs to be brought to the animals that suffer from this cruelty. In my opinion, abusing an animal is the same as abusing an infant. They do not have a voice, they cannot communicate, or remove themselves from the situation. They are helpless. And these dogs are being bred by dog-fighting ring leaders for the exact purpose of being tortured for the entirety of their existence. That is heartbreaking. That is worse than beating a spouse, because at least that person can fight back, call the authorities, bring justice. An animal cannot call the police and say “please help me, I am being starved and beaten to death. My brothers and sisters are being tortured and killed. Why is this happening to us, what did we do to deserve this?”

Another Victim of Dog Fighting

Now the Truth

In a 7 year study, pit bulls accounted for only 1.89% of dog bites on humans. And in a study that numbered, in order, the likeliness of over 100 breeds of dogs to bite a person, the Pit Bull was 4th, FROM THE BOTTOM, that’s right, they were 96th on the list. Labradors and Cocker Spaniels are statisically more dangerous. People say Pit Bulls are born mean, they say they are naturally vicious, what information do they have to back that up? NONE.

A few videos I have seen that show you Pit Bulls, America’s sweetheart dogs, and what happens to them when they fight, and shows them being the great family dogs that they are meant to be.

In Closing

I really think that the NFL made a poor decision letting Michael Vick back in. What ever happened to having high standards and making an example out of people? I’ve seen people kicked out of things for far less. It seems he is being portrayed as a hero, when he is the furthest thing from it. The welfare of innocent animals means more to me than winning a football game. I could never be “psyched to have a heartless abuser representing my town as its back-up quarterback. No one should be paid the amount of money he is making after what he did. He shouldn’t have been allowed to play ever again, he should be serving thousands of hours helping apprehend abused animals from sites alongside the real heroes, police and animal human law enforcement officers. Those are the real heroes. The people allowing victims of this crimes to have a voice, and helping to bring them justice. No amount of “I fucked up and I feel bad because I got caught, and now I have to claim Chapter 11 Bankruptcy” will make me feel anything but loathing toward Michael Vick. I’m so devastated people will look past his terrible past and give him another chance because they want to win a SuperBowl so bad. Andy Reed is a poor decision maker, and just because his son is a drug addict fuck up, doesn’t mean he needs to give second chances to a killer. There should be no unconditional love for a monster who has no remorse.

I knew today had started on the wrong foot the second that I woke up. I layed there, wide awake, until I knew I had only minutes to get ready for work. But I accepted being late. I didn’t even care. I was to bring 4 cases of water to work today to restock our fridge. The water was already loaded into the car from last night, all I had to do was grab the dolly and throw it in the back to help me carry the load when I arrived. Well, the dolly had been outside during one of the days last week that we had rain. I threw it into the backseat and about half a gallon on water poured out of it onto my back seat, onto my paperwork, and onto me. I get in my car to take off, and as soon as I start it the gaslight comes on. Of course it does.

I get to work and realize that all of the ink on my paperwork was dripping from the water that was spilled. Ink is everywhere. On my car seats, on the car floor, all over the cases of water. All of the wet paperwork is dripping with black. I pull the cases out and load them onto the truck. My hands are covered in black ink. My first instinct is to wipe them on my skirt…duh Stephanie, what are you thinking. My skirt has traces of ink on it, but it is a dark denim and not very noticable, so I go into work. I take the cases of water and load them into the fridge. I look down…ink is all over. All over my white blouse, all over my denim skirt, dripping down my legs and my hands are now gray.

Fabulous. Just wonderful. Now I look like I just came from a printing press and I’m working at a hedge fund company. I have to speak with investors that are coming in, and I look like a slob. I have an interview this afternoon. I forsee that the job will not be mine. Of course this would never happen to anyone but me. Hello Monday.

Click to feed some animals!

I’m sure we all spend at least part of our workdays in the same manner.  Flitting around online to different websites, trying to pass the time. Well, don’t let anyone tell you that it isn’t productive because I found a goldmine of wonderful when I stumbled upon “the Animal Resue Site”

This is a website where you can help feed shelter and sanctuary animals for free just by clicking on the link on the homepage.  I thought, “What a great idea” and gave it a little click and instantly donated .6 bowls of food and spent nothing.  Then, I saw a link to their online shop and I was blown away.  You can purchase a vast assortment of products, many of them made from organic or recycled materials, and each purchase provides bowls of food for shelter animals.  This is better than any 2 for 1 deal I’ve ever known. 

I bought a beautiful organic cotton wrap dress yesterday for only $18 (cheaper than you could find anywhere else I imagine), and with it, 14 bowls of food were given.  I then decided pick up a gentle-leader collar for my dog ($19), and 28 more bowls of food were donated, and then a $5 candle holder for a Father’s Day present donated another 14 bowls of food.  I couldn’t believe it.  I was helping animals without even doing anything other than buying things I would have bought anyway!  So I kept searching, there is such a range of products that you can find something for anyone, and any pet.

I thought I was done, but there is so much to the website.  I think my favorite thing is the “Gifts that give more” section of the store. 

With this section, you can donate money to some great causes, from vaccinating animals in local shelters, to helping liberate girls from indentured servitude. There are so many options and so many causes that need your support, and you will know where your money is going and what it is doing. But hey, if you aren’t able to spare some funds to help these causes out, you can always click to give food for free and do your good deed of the day!

I set my calendar to remind me every day to click to give. You can also sign up on “the Animal Resue Site”to receive daily reminder emails, and you can also choose to receive newsletters about what’s going on and what they are doing to help.

So check out the store, and if you find something you like, toot your own horn and tell the world that you got a great deal and helped out some animals in need at the same time! Or, donate to a cause you think is worthy and feel good knowing you had a hand in changing the life of a person or animal that desperately needed help. You’ll be glad you did and hopefully you’ll inspire others to do the same!