Harley and Michael Vick

Now how could Vick hurt that face? Ok, not fair. Nobody could hurt Harley. But I think when you hear this story, you think about your dog. How could anybody do that to a dog? But there's a lot more to it than that. Did Vick deserve 23 months? When you add it all up, I think it's about right. Remember, this isn't just about dogs. If he had done this only in Virginia, there would be no federal charges. It's about illegal interstate gambling, failing a drug test, and not telling the truth when a judge tells you to. The 2 questions for me are does he change after jail, and does he get a chance to play football again? I guess the first one's not that big a deal. I just hope as a dog lover he will be able to see what he did as wrong.
Remember a couple things though before you make Vick into Satan. At the core of this thing, it's about dog breeding. There are hundreds of breeds of dogs bred to do lots of things. Things like hunt, protect, and yes sometimes fight. If you train a dog to protect your family and attack intruders, you are teaching it to fight for you without regard to its safety. This has gone on for thousands of years, and while I don't want to see it, I can understand why it might be appealing to some. Boxing, cock fighting, and dog fighting are essentially the same thing. The only difference is that with the latter two, the athlete doesn't have enough sense to stop. They will actually fight to the death. I guess in some sick way, that's the nobility Vick and others see in this sport. It's pure sport on the most basic of levels. Win=life , loss=death. And think real hard for a second. What is it about a Ronnie Lott hit or an Emmitt Smith taking the pounding with a separated shoulder that makes us put them above other performances? Is it because we believe they have crossed that line where they don't care for their safety? Is it because they have made it as if it were life or death? But to bring it full circle, always remember the true beauty of Lott and Smith that was not found in Virginia. Lott and Smith chose how far to take it. The dogs never had that option.