Michael Vick, The Luckiest Felon in America, Wants a Dog for Christmas

Michael Vick is the luckiest felon in America. After being convicted of dog fighting and serving time in jail, he still keeps his job, earns millions, is fought over by media organizations and media hungry charities, and continues to live the American Dream as star NFL quarterback and possible MVP. What kid in jail for stealing an iPod gets the same mercy?

But he wants something he cannot now buy - a dog! (He is prohibited by virtue of his sentencing agreements to do so.) What is interesting to me about this is the universal schizophrenia displayed by dog fighters and cock fighters alike, which is simply - the way they treat their pets is different than the way they view what is going on in the ring.  I have been in the animal welfare enforcement business forever and have been present at numerous dog and bird fights. Without exception, the fighters tell me - "Animal cruelty? I would never be cruel to my dog - these dogs are business, like to fight, are not real dogs." In fact, many animal fighters have family pets they would not think of raising their voices at. They usually assert that I simply don't understand.

This, however, is not a distinction manifested by juvenile fighters, especially those who look up to Vick. They lack compassion for pets as well, and actually fight their pets believing that they are emulating a hero. This makes life a lot worse for a lot of dogs.

Vick wants a pet dog - proving that he still doesn't understand the extent and nuances of the crime and why the ban is imposed. He asserts he is cured and that the proof of that is his assertion. No doubt the luckiest felon in America feels like a victim.

If this is his Hail Mary sympathy Christmas play i.e. the dog is for my family - not just me. Forget about it. My dad always says - "If you're looking for sympathy, it's between sh-t and syphilis in the dictionary."