<DIV>Pretty sad story Carl. What's even sadder is that the dog gets better health care than millions or Americans. I bet this puppy won't be required to work the rest of his life to pay the medical bills. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Best,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Donovan<BR><BR><B><I>Carl Westberg <carlwestberg846@hotmail.com></I></B> wrote:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">Can we make it a felony in our state now?<BR><BR>By Gene Wojciechowski<BR>ESPN.com<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>Her name is Little Mama. She's, oh, about 1½ years old. Just the sweetest <BR>pit bull you could ever pet. And then somebody stuck the blade of a 4-inch <BR>hunting knife into her skull.<BR><BR>"The worst case of animal abuse I've ever seen," says Carl Leveridge, <BR>president of the Atlanta Humane Society.<BR><BR>That's where they brought Little Mama, to the 58,000-square-foot nonprofit <BR>shelter
and clinic in northwest Atlanta. She was terrified and in pain, yet <BR>Leveridge said Little Mama allowed one of the staff veterinarians to lift <BR>her lip and inspect her teeth. Like I said, a sweetie.<BR><BR>Surgery was needed to remove the knife blade, which had been pushed nearly 2 <BR>inches into her sinus cavity and lodged in bone. Miraculously, the stabbing <BR>missed her brain. And as of Thursday afternoon, the patient was in stable <BR>condition and showing signs of improvement.<BR><BR>"A half-hour ago I was over there petting her," said Leveridge, who has <BR>offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the creep <BR>who did this. "Her tail was wagging against the cage."<BR><BR>See, this is why prison is too good for people capable of this kind of <BR>cruelty. This is why Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, if he cops <BR>his own plea or is eventually found guilty of federal dogfighting conspiracy <BR>charges, should have to join the
rest of his Bad Newz Kennels crew and do <BR>some hard time at the Atlanta Humane Society.<BR><BR>Just prison? Nuh-uh. Instead, doghouse during the day, then federal big <BR>house at night.<BR><BR>Maybe they'll make him work here a year. That would be good.<BR><BR>Carl Leveridge, president of the Atlanta Humane Society<BR>"Do you think a judge might impose something like that?" asks Leveridge. <BR>"Maybe they'll make him work here a year. That would be good."<BR><BR>That would be justice. Or the beginnings of it.<BR><BR>Of course, if it were up to me, I'd also sentence all guilty parties of the <BR>Bad Newz group to work as Alaskan Husky No. 7 in next year's Iditarod. At <BR>the very least, I'd have them chase mechanical rabbits at Mile High <BR>Greyhound Park in Commerce City, Colo. Or have them fetch Joey Harrington's <BR>jockstrap -- post-practice -- with their teeth. And, sorry, no showers for <BR>the Bad Newz crew. Tongue baths only.<BR><BR>Yeah, I'm a dog person. I
don't want to go all "Marley & Me" on you, but the <BR>night I brought my Cocker Spaniel puppy Elvis home, I slept next to him on <BR>the kitchen floor so he'd feel safe and wouldn't whimper so much. Twelve <BR>years later, I slept next to him on the living-room floor as his breathing <BR>became more shallow and his blood count worsened by the minute. He died <BR>later that day. But at least he didn't die alone.<BR><BR>We've got another pooch now -- a pain-in-the-butt, pig-in-a-dog-suit Cocker <BR>named Oskie. And even though he's been known to sneak on top of the <BR>Thanksgiving dinner table for a slice of just-carved turkey, I can't imagine <BR>a day without him.<BR><BR>So pit bull torture sessions? Drownings? Electrocutions? Hangings? <BR>Shootings? Rape stands? Fights to the death? There isn't an adjective in <BR>existence that describes my level of disgust, astonishment and sadness at <BR>the inhumanity of such acts.<BR><BR>Vick will get his day in court and, for
his sake, I hope he's able to -- as <BR>he put it -- clear his "good name." But if there's a plea (and it appears <BR>such an option is being discussed), Vick and his accomplices deserve more <BR>than merely prison; they really should spend time working at the humane <BR>society.<BR><BR>Weird how this works out. Leveridge recently met with representatives of the <BR>Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. Blank happens to be the owner of the <BR>Falcons and has contributed to the Atlanta Humane Society for years. He has <BR>two old Labradors that he adores.<BR><BR>"He's a true animal-welfare advocate," says Leveridge. "For this to happen <BR>to him, I feel so bad for him."<BR><BR>If I'm the federal judge in charge of sentencing, I make Vick and the others <BR>report to the AHS Monday through Sunday at 8 a.m. sharp. There are about 100 <BR>cages that need to be cleaned twice each day. Sadly, there are few vacancies <BR>at the Humane Society.<BR><BR>Vick could walk dogs. He could
help groom them. He could cut the grass and <BR>help maintain the grounds. He could stuff envelopes in the administrative <BR>offices. He could work with the on-site dog behavior expert. He could offer <BR>to work in the AHS wellness clinic, which provides free animal-health <BR>services for pets whose owners can't normally afford such care. He could <BR>attend the monthly support-group meeting, where animal owners who have lost <BR>their pets help each other through the hurt.<BR><BR>"It's a cliché term, but it is like losing a family member," says Leveridge. <BR>"If he went to some of these sessions, saw some of these people sobbing <BR>their eyes out ... and yet [Bad Newz allegedly] is killing them for sport."<BR><BR>Most of all, Vick could write a check. Something in the two commas, six-zero <BR>variety. It wouldn't bring back the dogs that were allegedly tortured and <BR>killed at Bad Newz, but it would save others.<BR><BR>The AHS has an annual operating budget of
about $4.5 million. It cares for <BR>about 400 animals, including about 200 dogs. A Michael Vick Endowment Fund <BR>of, say, $5 million, would help bankroll the AHS for the next 20 years. Now <BR>that's a legacy.<BR>The AHS has an annual operating budget of about $4.5 million. It cares for <BR>about 400 animals, including about 200 dogs. A Michael Vick Endowment Fund <BR>of, say, $5 million, would help bankroll the AHS for the next 20 years. Now <BR>that's a legacy.<BR><BR>"That would be the best way, giving money," says Leveridge. "People would <BR>say, 'He realized he did the wrong thing and he wants to help animals.'"<BR><BR>It beats what some of them are saying now. Angry Falcons fans have sent more <BR>than 100 Vick jerseys or T-shirts to the AHS, occasionally with a charity <BR>check attached. Just the other day a woman handed Leveridge a bag full of <BR>Vick T-shirts with his familiar No. 7 on them.<BR><BR>The jerseys and T-shirts don't go to waste, though. The nice
ones are used <BR>as pillows for the animals. The others are used as rags to clean the <BR>kennels.<BR><BR>Including Little Mama's.<BR><BR>Gene Wojciechowski is the senior national columnist for ESPN.com. You can <BR>contact him at gene.wojciechowski@espn3.com.<BR><BR>_________________________________________________________________<BR>Tease your brain--play Clink! Win cool prizes! <BR>http://club.live.com/clink.aspx?icid=clink_hotmailtextlink2<BR><BR>=======================================================<BR>List services made available by First Step Internet, <BR>serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <BR>http://www.fsr.net <BR>mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<BR>=======================================================</BLOCKQUOTE><BR><p> 
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