Category: Grrr

Really, NFL? Dog Killer Michael Vick Gets Gig as Pro Bowl Captain

In the NFL, you can’t seem to get a job if, for example, you protest peacefully during the national anthem. Colin Kaepernick hasn’t been signed by any team ever since 2016, when the former San Francisco 49er would take a knee during the playing of the “Star-Spangled Banner” to protest the killing of African-American men by police officers.

Yet in the NFL, you sure can get a gig if you beat Pit Bulls to death with your bare hands. That’s right, Michael Vick is back, unfortunately. The NFL proudly announced last month that the dog killer is going to be one of four “legends captains” for the 2020 Pro Bowl.

Funny, Vick’s bio in the NFL press release exults his career as a player for the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles, but somehow fails to mention his career as the owner of an illegal dog-fighting operation.

As everybody probably knows, Vick went to prison for 18 months in 2007 for running the Bad Newz Kennels in Virginia. According to the federal indictment, Vick himself killed poorly performing dogs by hanging them or repeatedly slamming them to the ground. When three dogs survived being hanged, Vick helped hold their heads underwater until they drowned.

Soon after he got out of prison, Vick was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles and resumed his NFL career.

Some people argue that Vick served his time, so it’s time to stop being outraged. But those chilling facts from the federal indictment are not something that’s easy to get over. And many of us believe that Vick was remorseful only because he got caught, and not because of the horrible things he did to dogs – which he never has apologized for.

All those innocent dogs Vick killed never got a second chance. Why should he?

If any NFL officials happen to be reading this, here are a couple of suggestions for players much worthier of being Pro Bowl legends captains:

  • Former wide receiver Torrey Smith paid the adoption fees for 46 homeless dogs and cats from BARCS (Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter).
  • Ronnie Stanley, an offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens, went to BARCS three years ago with a special request: He and his girlfriend only wanted a dog who had been in the shelter for a long time. They took home Winter, a Pit Bull/Retriever mix who’d been left to die in a vacant house with no food or water. (That terrible situation was arguably better than being a poorly performing dog at the Bad Newz Kennels.)

Say No to Michael Vick as a Pro Bowl Captain!

Thousands of people are protesting the NFL’s hiring of Vick. You can protest by boycotting the NFL and its sponsors, and by signing these online petitions:

  • As of Dec. 7, more than 319,000 people have signed an Animalvictory.org petition to remove Vick as a Pro Bowl captain. “Out of the hundreds of professional football athletes who have led upstanding lives, the NFL has chosen a convicted dog-fighting organizer as someone who they want to honor,” it says.
  • Over 290,000 people have signed a Change.org petition started by Joanna Lind. “When is the NFL going to take any responsibility for the behavior of its current and former players?” Lind writes. “To honor a man who had zero regard for animals is unacceptable.”
  • Another Change.org petition started by Brande Wood has over 62,000 signatures. “The NFL, Disney, ESPN, the city of Orlando, and Camping World Stadium should not be condoning the torture and murder of dogs by allowing Michael Vick to be involved in the Pro Bowl — or any other professional sport,” Wood writes.
  • A Care2 petition has more than 67,000 signatures. “[L]et Michael Vick and the NFL know we will never forget what he did and we do not condone this type of behavior!” it says. “He needs to be banned completely from the NFL. There is no excuse for animal abuse!”

Photo: Jason Bacon

Allowing Dogs on Doorless NYC Helicopter Tours Is a Truly Terrible Idea

 

Last year, five passengers taking a FlyNYON tour over New York City were killed when the helicopter they were riding in crashed into the East River.

FlyNYON, which is facing lawsuits and federal investigations over that accident, is still in business. It offers “doors-off” flights so that passengers can dangle their feet and legs 1,000 feet above the ground for super awesome, super Instagrammable photo opportunities.

Now FlyNYON is apparently trying to drum up more business by allowing dogs on its sightseeing helicopter flights.

This is a terrible idea for at least a couple of reasons. One is that the helicopter doesn’t have doors, so it seems like it could be possible for an extremely stressed-out dog to squirm out of their harness and owner’s lap, and jump out. Why would that dog be so stressed out? Because of the loud noise and the fact that the dog is 1,000 up in the air in a doorless helicopter. Frankly, I’d be terrified, too.

FlyNYON is “flying dogs high above New York, offering thrill-seekers the chance to dangle their feet — and now their pet — above city buildings, bridges, waters and more,” Sen. Chuck Schumer said at a news conference today, NBC New York reports.

Schumer, Sen. Bob Menendez, the Humane Society of the United States and PETA are all urging FlyNYON to stop these dangerous flights. Schumer also called on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to look into a “loophole allowing doors-off [flights] to remain operational in the first place.”

It’s extremely disappointing that FlyNYON has what it calls a “special partnership” with the nonprofit Pilots N Paws. Volunteer pilots with this organization provide transportation for animals so they can be rescued and adopted. How on earth could they be on board with the awful idea of allowing pet dogs on doors-off helicopter flights? There are much safer and more humane ways to raise funds.

A FlyNYON spokesperson insisted in a statement that the company is “fully compliant with all FAA operating and safety standards.”

But, as Schumer said, to allow dogs on its flights “is a sheer jaw-drop.” He said the same company involved in last year’s fatal crash is now “strapping in dogs for people to snap pictures of while the animals all but dangle high above New York skies, experiencing the sound of the rotors and who knows what other cruel things.”

The dog-friendly flights are “cruel and inhumane,” according to Brian Shapiro, New York state director for the Humane Society of the United States.

The FlyNYON spokesperson invited Senators Schumer and Menendez  to come to the company’s New Jersey office “and discuss this very important matter.” Hopefully the senators will do just that and convince flyNYON why it’s very important not to allow dogs on their helicopter tours.

Photo: FlyNYON/YouTube screen grab

Florida Woman Arrested for Putting Unwanted Dog in the Trunk of Her Car

Earlier this week, Sara Perry of Cocoa, Fla., decided she no longer wanted Neptune, the Pit Bull mix she’d been neglecting. Did she do the right thing and try to find the emaciated dog a new, loving forever home?

Nope. Perry brought Neptune to a local animal shelter and told the staff to take him or euthanize him. An employee told her the shelter was full and they don’t euthanize unwanted dogs dumped there. Perry got angry and stormed off with Neptune. She took him back to her car, put him in the trunk — and drove off.

Fortunately, her heinous act was captured on video by a concerned witness. The shelter was able to see her license plate number in the video and contacted the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.

Thanks to that witness’s video, authorities were able to locate Perry and Neptune. Sheriff Wayne Ivey said Neptune was taken to the Brevard County Animal Care Center. A veterinarian who examined Neptune said the dog was extremely malnourished and in very poor health.

Perry was arrested and charged with felony animal abuse “for the despicable way she treated this poor, helpless pet,” Ivey said. “I’m even more proud to share with you that I personally walked Perry into the Brevard County jail, which is exactly where she belongs.” Here, here, Sheriff Ivey!

The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office is working with Florida’s state attorney “to ensure Perry gets everything she deserves, to the full extent of the law,” Ivey said.

“If you harm an animal in Brevard County, we’ll put your butt straight in jail and do everything legally possible to make your life just as miserable as you made that pet’s life,” he added.

To reiterate, “HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT IF YOU ABUSE AN ANIMAL IN BREVARD COUNTY YOU’RE GOING STRAIGHT TO JAIL,” the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post with the video. It has gone viral, with over 1.3 million views.

“Bitch” is a term used for female dogs, and it also certainly applies to Sara Perry. Here’s hoping she gets the book thrown at her. As Ivey said, someone with zero compassion “shouldn’t be allowed to own a plant, much less a pet.” And here’s hoping poor Neptune recovers and is adopted into the loving home he deserves.

On the disturbing subject of dogs in trunks, here’s a sad-but-true fact: In California, it’s legal to drive with your dog in the trunk of your car. In December 2015 a driver in Los Angeles was shocked to see two Huskies poke their heads out of the partially open trunk of the car in front of him.

The driver, who told a local news station she was only driving a short distance, was apparently not breaking any laws. California vehicle code 23117 simply requires that any animal that’s transported on highways in the back of a vehicle “in a space intended for any load” (the trunk or bed of a truck, for instance) to be “either cross-tethered to the vehicle or protected by a secured container or cage, to prevent the animal from falling, jumping, or being thrown from the vehicle.” The woman had tied a bungee cord to the trunk door to prevent it from opening all the way.

The ASPCA and the LAPD Animal Cruelty Task Force investigated the incident. Believe it or not, the woman wasn’t charged with animal cruelty or endangerment. Still, all you dog owners in California, there are much safer ways to transport your pet…inside your vehicle.

Photos: Brevard Sheriff/YouTube

It’s Legal for US Evacuation Centers and Hotels to Ban Pets During a Disaster

Besides the tragic loss of human lives, some of the most heartbreaking Hurricane Florence stories were those of pets that had been left behind to fend for themselves in the rising floodwaters. In one video that went viral, volunteers rescued six dogs locked inside a backyard kennel just an hour or so before they all would have drowned.

After Hurricane Irma in Florida last year, pet owners who left their animals chained with no way to escape were rightfully charged with felony animal cruelty. Hopefully the owners of these pets in North Carolina will face similar charges.

While chaining or locking up dogs during a hurricane seems especially cruel, some pet owners may have had to abandon their pets because they were not allowed in evacuation centers and hotels. You might think that after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005 and an estimated 250,000 dogs and cats were displaced or died — and in some cases, their owners who refused to leave them behind also died — all shelters and hotels would now be required by law to allow pets.

It’s true that the federal Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act, enacted one year after Katrina, does require state and local emergency preparedness operational plans to address the needs of the owners of companion and service animals following a major disaster or emergency. However, as I wrote for Care2 after Hurricane Harvey in Texas a year ago, you might be surprised that the PETS Act does not require evacuation centers or hotels to accept pets during a disaster.

So, what exactly does the PETS Act require? It requires state and local emergency preparedness operational plans to address the needs of the owners of companion and service animals following a major disaster or emergency. While these plans do include “emergency shelter facilities and materials that will accommodate people with pets and service animals,” all evacuation centers aren’t required to allow pets.

Fortunately, more and more evacuation centers are welcoming two-legged and four-legged evacuees. Many hotels are willing to waive their no-pets policies to accommodate people who need a place for all of their family members to stay.

But knowing there’s still a real possibility that your pet will be turned away from a shelter during a disaster is a very important reason to have an emergency evacuation plan prepared so you don’t get separated. Here are some tips from the ASPCA:

  • Find out what hotels in your area will accept pets. Check your county’s emergency management office, local animal shelter and your city’s social media for the locations of evacuation centers that allow pets.
  • Prepare an emergency kit that includes a pet carrier (with your pet’s name, your name and your cell phone number written on it), canned food, bowls, bottled water, first-aid items, garbage bags and blankets.
  • Be sure your pet is microchipped and your contact information is up to date.
  • Your pet’s ID tag should include their name, any urgent medical needs and your cell phone number.
  • Keep current photos of your pet with you.

Photo: Daily Mail/YouTube

Monster Who Tortured Puppy Doe Sentenced to Up to 10 Years in Prison

One of the most disturbing cases of animal abuse that I’m aware of was that of Puppy Doe, a young Pit Bull who was given away by her original owners when their landlord decided to ban the breed due to high insurance rates.

Puppy Doe, also known as Kiya, eventually ended up with Radoslaw Czerkawski, a Polish national living illegally in the U.S. on an expired work visa. Czerkawski starved the puppy and inflicted upon her what a veterinarian described as medieval-style torture. This monster systematically pulled her joints apart one by one, split her tongue in half, stabbed her in the eye and burned her. When the 95-year-old woman he was living with and a caregiver for died in August 2013, Czerkawski dumped the puppy in a wooded area.

When a good Samaritan found Puppy Doe, she thought the dog had been hit by a car due to the severity of her injuries. Tragically, Puppy Doe had to be euthanized, but during her final hours she was shown what it’s like to be loved by the caring staff of the Animal Rescue League of Boston.

Czerkawski was arrested after Puppy Doe’s blood splatter was found in the elderly woman’s home. His cell phone records indicated he had bought the dog from her second owner via a Craigslist ad. He was charged with 12 counts of animal cruelty, and he was later convicted of a larceny charge for stealing more than $130,000 from the elderly woman.

The animal cruelty trial was originally set for early 2015, but it was repeatedly postponed.

Finally, nearly five years after Puppy Doe’s horrific ordeal, Czerkawski’s trial began earlier this month in Dedham, Mass. And, finally, there is some justice for Puppy Doe: This week the jury found Czerkawski guilty of all 12 counts of animal cruelty.

Although the judge could have sentenced Czerkawski to 55 years in prison, he was sentenced to only eight to 10 years, followed by two years of probation. Also, Czerkawski cannot ever own, care for, or come in contact with any animal, or volunteer where animals are present.

Czerkawski is already serving time for the larceny charge, so he could be out of prison in just a few years. Still, the Animal Rescue League of Boston called the sentencing “a historic day for animal welfare in Massachusetts.”

“With the conviction and sentencing of Radoslaw Czerkawski, it has been demonstrated that people who commit animal cruelty, and in this case extreme cruelty, will be held accountable,” it stated on its Facebook page. “Ironically Puppy Doe’s short and tragic life was the impetus for stronger laws protecting all animals in the Commonwealth–and there’s still more work to do.”

Thanks to poor Puppy Doe, animal cruelty laws have been strengthened in Massachusetts since Czerkawski was arrested back in 2013. The maximum sentence for a first offense, which used to be five years, increased to seven years. Subsequent offenses have a maximum sentence of 10 years. The fines were raised from $2,500 for a first offense to $5,000, and up to $10,000 for subsequent offenses.

While eight to 10 years doesn’t seem like nearly long enough for what that despicable monster did to Puppy Doe, at least her case will hopefully prevent other animals from suffering so much cruelty.

Rest in peace, Kiya.

Photo: Animal Rescue League of Boston

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