Football and dogfighting

mr_ed:  Welcome to Tucker Talks Back!, a time and space for news, views, and woos. I'm Mister Ed, the co-host, and with me here is the fur-bottomed Tucker-plucker, relaxing and enjoying the absence of foster dogs. Gremlin, the senior lady of the house, says woof! too.

I haven't brought up Michael Vick before, but now I'm going to, just a little, because I just came across another big dogfighting investigation.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

We interrupt this blog for an important announcement!

Ladies, do you know any men you'd call a pig (definition 5.)?

Could he use an attitude adjustment when it comes to animals?

Have we got the gift idea for you!

Five young women falling out of their scanty clothing tell the world If you're fighting dogs you're a loser!!! in this full-color poster available now for the low, low price of only $10 plus shipping and handling of $3!

And remember! All proceeds go to help the kitties and doggies! Order now!

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Back to Michael Vick. I'm disappointed that the federal grand jury's indictment of Vick listed 15 "Overt Acts" (each of them a number of separate actions) and the result was a plea to only one count (along with agreement to a more expansive "Summary of Facts").

I'm disappointed that the Virginia grand jury came through with only two charges, increasing the chance that he'll slide with a "double-jeopardy" defense. And even if found guilty, the state sentence (oops ... that should be "the Commonwealth sentence") might be served at the same time as the federal, which the government (but not animal-welfare groups) is recommending to be 12 to 18 months.

I'm disappointed that Vick had a "hot UA" - a urinalysis that tested positive for marijuana.

No really, I am. What a terrible role model! Even in communities that accept dogfighting as a legitimate and enjoyable sport, who wants their kids to look up to a dumbhead who's evidently headed down the same road as Mike Tyson and OJ Simpson to a life of one stupid mistake after another?

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

A Public Service Announcement brought to you by the writers of this blog.

Is this the first you've heard of dogfighting? Is it really bad? Is it confined to rednecks, rappers, and recidivist athletes?

An animal-welfare organization has the answers you need. Visit one today.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

And we're back. Now, some people may be hearing about dog fighting for the first time. But Michael Vick certainly isn't the first American pro athlete to apparently, allegedly, or admittedly be involved in this "sport." There's "a 'subculture' of dogfighting among professional athletes," says a representative of the Humane Society.

And it's not just in the U.S. I hadn't heard about this other investigation before - seems like it would have been on itchmo - but the BBC spent 17 months investigating, and they reported at the end of August that they'd found 15 operations or "gangs."

(Now that I'm actually spending a few hours tracking down this story, I see it's been on ESPN since August 30.)

Ironically, the undercover film exposed a star of Irish football - what the rest of the world calls football, anyway, and we call soccer. He denies dogfighting completely. In April he pled guilty to having a pit bull (a banned breed) and unlicensed dogs, and he was banned from owning a dog for five years. But on film he said he had 15, so he may be up for violating the previous court order, too.

Dublin is an international backdoor for fighting dogs from all over Europe, according to the Dublin Society for the Protection of Animals, who say illegal dog fights are thriving in Dublin and other towns in the Republic and the north.

A shocking report by the BBC Spotlight programme on pit bull fighting in Ireland and Europe, broadcast on Thursday night, also revealed how shamed Tyrone gaelic footballer, Gerard Cavlan, was part of a highly organised pan European dogfighting network....

"Regrettably, it is almost impossible until the necessary intelligence is received to break these rings, it can be almost impossible to bring the perpetrators to justice; the individuals who operate these fighting rings are ruthless and dangerous.

"We know that dogs in Dublin are involved from the cases of pit bulls brought into our shelter by our inspectors that have serious cuts, lacerations and injuries," said Jimmy Cahill, manager of the DSPCA.

-- independent.ie

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

A Public Service Announcement brought to you by the writers of this blog.

Cruelty to animals and domestic abuse are often linked. Send Vick a message ... send all animal abusers a message. Because No Animals Were Harmed® is just the beginning.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

We're outta space and time. Peace and long life, and may you Live long and prosper!