For 8 years I have been having the same debate with people. Ever since Vick went to jail for financing a heinous dogfighting ring called Bad Newz Kennels, I have been explaining why I hope he rots in hell.
There are people who think he deserved to be re-hired as a glorious QB in the NFL. People who praise his comebacks. Very recently, people who voted him to be in the Virginia Tech Hall of Fame. And just a few weeks ago, he was hired as an intern coach in Kansas City. Each of these events spark fuel on both sides. The group who feels he has redeemed himself and deserves a second chance and the group who thinks he should live his life in prison.
I am and will always be the latter.
Maybe, instead of focusing on Vick to explain why I feel the way I do, it is time to explain myself.
However, before I do that, let me be clear about what Michael Vick was responsible for… At Bad Newz Kennels, they found the dead bodies of hundred of dogs. They know that the dogs were electrocuted, drowned, raped, hung, tortured, starved etc… Vick was a part of all of this for a few years. It was never a one-time incident. It was not an accident. These were conscious decisions made by him daily for years.
Now me… For all of my life that I can remember my heart has seen animals as little souls. I have always saved them. From baby birds to lost dogs, their lives were as important to me as my own.
Let me repeat that – their lives were as important to me as my own.
I think that last sentence differentiates some human beings.
For a myriad of reasons, not everyone feels that way. I am not here to debate which is right- only to use that as the explanation for my pure hatred for Vick.
I have been a very involved animal advocate for the last 15 years. I am beyond passionate about finding homeless dogs and cats homes. I am a walking billboard against puppy mills. I am these things not only because I have been in the trenches, but because my heart, the one I was born with, sees animals as sentient beings who have feelings. I never had a choice about how I would feel towards animals, my love for them is who I am.
For people like me, who see animals this way, life can be painful. There have been times where I felt my love for animals was a curse because my heart can break on a daily basis seeing the cruel acts people do to them.
When I walked into my first Amish dog auction, the pain and heartache I felt was beyond comprehension. However, there are lots of people who could walk into one and maybe not feel anything at all. That pain defines me.
I am not going to make assumptions, but I do believe that many of the Vick haters are people like me, who have been given hearts that love animals on a different level. What he did to them wasn’t just bad, to us, it is beyond horrifying because we believe animals lives are as important as our own. To us, Vick is no different than a serial killer.
How many people would think that Gacy, Bundy or Dahmer should be in the Virgina Tech Hall of Fame or come out of prison and be a NFL QB or end up a NFL coach? I have to think not many.
To those of us with the curse of a huge heart for animals, this is how we see Vick.
I understand that might seem extreme, even bordering mentally ill, to some of you, but I am just being honest about who I am and who I think some of Vick’s other haters are.
I didn’t choose to love animals the way I do – it is just who I am. Knowing what Vick did to those innocent dogs breaks me.
So, I get it – not everyone sees him as the evil monster I do and not everyone would save a mouse from a glue trap like I did.
To understand my hatred, you would have to understand my heart and the passion I have for animals. While there are many days I wish I could look the other way and pretend the animal cruelty doesn’t bother me so deeply, in the end, I am grateful to have my heart and to fight for the voiceless.
I know that my heart is also my gift – my path in life. I trust that I was given it knowing I would never give up. And, I won’t.
He is a monster. Anyone that can hurt such innocent souls is a monster. Serial killers and rapists are comparable to him. All have the same level of depravity, willing to hurt other living creatures for the thrill or anything to benefit themselves. He should be shamed and banned from anything resembling football fame. I will never support anything to do with him, and shame on those who do. Take a moment and imagine if you cannot feel compassion for the innocent dogs then what if he had done something like this to children. Horrified yet? Forced them to fight, tortured them, raped them. Then if they didnt perform enough they were killed, maybe drowning or starvation. Even if you do not hold animals with the same esteem you do humans, surely you can see how much of a monster Vick is.
Michael Vick.. ONCE A POS, ALWAYS A POS!
He should be in prison……. for the rest of his worthless life! When he goes to hell? He will suffer the SAME that he dished out to these helpless dogs. Over and over he will be torn apart… He deserves NO LESS… ANY TEAM THAT HIRES HIM, SUCKS!
He should be in prison for life
That was written perfect for people that hate Vick
And I do believe that as a crossposter on Facebook
Iwant to kill kill people that hurt animals
I just want to scream so hard because some you just can’t help or it to late.
And your heart cry and see the cruelty that happening a daily base in your head for the longest time
And it rip you apart
I feel the same way. Michael Vick is a horrible excuse of a man.
Some people say that he paid his debt to society. No. He did time for federal crimes. He never did time for his hands on personal actions toward dogs on the state level. The DA opted to not prosecute him for those crimes and he essentially walked on them. Even if he had done jail time for what he did to dogs and promoted doing to dogs, his crimes are beyond redemption as far as I’m concerned. He should absolutely be allowed to make a living to support his family. But he should no longer enjoy any form of celebrity status or be regarded as one of our best and brightest. His physical talents were and continue to be completely negated by his own behavior.
If you have not read Jim Gorant’s book called “The Lost Dogs” which sets forth in detail exactly what Vick did, I encourage you to do so. An example of the language contained in the Summary of the Facts from the criminal case follows:
“PEACE, PIDLLIPS, and VICK agreed to the killing of approximately 6-8 dogs that did not perform well in ‘testing’ sessions at 1915 Moonlight Road and all of those dogs were killed by various methods, including hanging and drowning. VICK agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of PEACE, PHILLIPS, and VICK.”
I’m with you, Becky. I rarely use the word hate, but I do for this man and there is honestly nothing he could say or to do change my mind. He objectified and killed the most innocent in our society – animals who cannot speak for themselves or fend for themselves – and there is just no coming back from that type of depravity.
Insightful in that it paints a very clear picture of your endless love, care, and compassion for animals and the impact all of them have on you. Beautifully written in its clarity. Thanks