i Still Love Dogs

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

Why Hero Military Dog Conan Probably Won’t Receive a Purple Heart

Ever since he helped take down ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Bagdadi in October, hero dog Conan has received plenty of well-deserved accolades.

Conan is a Belgian Malinois who has served over 50 missions with the U.S. military’s Delta Force. He was injured during the Oct. 27 raid in Syria when he stepped on live electrical wires while chasing al-Bagdadi into a tunnel. Fortunately, the hero dog recovered from his wounds.

In a Photoshopped tweet three days after the raid, Donald Trump is seen putting ribbon with a paw-print medal around Conan’s neck.

AMERICAN HERO! pic.twitter.com/XCCa2sGfsZ
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 30, 2019

There was some confusion over whether Conan was male or female, but apparently he’s a male.

?UPDATE: Two defense officials have now contacted us to say Conan is *for sure they say* a BOY. One official said they triple checked.
I guess the important thing here is that Conan, boy or girl, is a good dog who did excellent work with the US military.
The end. https://t.co/bSQJifnMxx
— Elizabeth McLaughlin (@Elizabeth_McLau) November 26, 2019

Fun fact: Conan wasn’t named after Conan the Barbarian, but Conan O’Brien the Comedian.

That dog is clearly the better “Conan” — I wish her a speedy recovery! https://t.co/7BVIaybve6
— Conan O’Brien (@ConanOBrien) October 29, 2019

During Conan’s visit to the White House last week, Trump called him a “tough cookie” at a news conference. “The dog is incredible,” Trump said. “We spent some good time with it. So brilliant, so smart.” Trump presented Conan with a special medal designed by U.S. Special Operations — but not a Purple Heart.

Despite Conan’s heroism, it is unlikely that he will receive a Purple Heart, the U.S. military’s highest honor. This award is given to members of the military who “are wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those who are killed in action or die of wounds received in action,” according to the Military Order of the Purple Heart website.

Since World War II, the U.S. military has only awarded the Purple Heart to two-legged heroes.

“The use of military decorations is limited to human personnel who distinguish themselves in service to the nation,” Defense Department spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said in 2010, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC).

Many veterans think dogs should also be awarded this honor for their service.

“Do I believe Conan should receive a Purple Heart for actions on target?” former Army Ranger and Purple Heart recipient Michael Bollinger, a former Army Ranger, told the New York Post. “Absolutely. They’re out there with us every step of the way.”

For over a decade, Ron Aiello, founder of the United States War Dog Association, has been urging the Department of Defense to establish an official medal for military dogs who distinguish themselves in service to the U.S.

“They say they can’t do that,” he told the AKC. “We utilize these dogs and they are recognized as a large asset to our military. But we can’t honor them.”

The last military dog to officially be honored with a Purple Heart was Chips, the most decorated dog of World War II.

“For ‘singlehandedly’ wiping out a machine-gun nest in Italy, a dog named Chips was awarded the D.S.C., the Silver Star and the Purple Heart,” TIME reported in February 1944.

All the press Chips was getting caught the attention of the commander of the Order of the Purple Heart, according to Military.com. The commander complained to President Roosevelt and the War Department that giving the Purple Heart to a dog demeaned all the men who had received one.

Chips was allowed to keep his medals, but the Army’s adjutant general, Major General James A. Ulio, ruled that no other dogs would receive the Purple Heart, TIME reported.

The most decorated dog in U.S. military history was Purple Heart recipient “Sergeant” Stubby, who saved hundreds of lives during World War I by sniffing out mustard gas and barking to alert the troops when he heard artillery fire.

More recently, a Belgian Malinois named Cairo helped his fellow Navy SEALs take down Osama bin Laden in a 2011 raid. Cairo did not receive a Purple Heart for this heroic feat, and that’s a shame.

Photo: Official White House photo by Shealah Craighead

Doggie Donuts: Yet Another Reason Not to Leave Your Pet Alone in Your Car

It’s never, ever, EVER a good idea to leave your dog alone in your car, whether it’s hot, cold or somewhere in between. Even on a relatively mild, 80-degree day, the temperature inside your vehicle can rise to over 100 degrees within just 10 minutes. Yikes.

And speaking of yikes, this week a big black dog named Max demonstrated yet another reason why you shouldn’t leave your dog alone in your car—even for a minute or two.

Max’s owner made a wrong turn on a cul-de-sac Thursday morning in Port St. Lucie, Fla. He apparently saw something on the street and got out of the car to investigate. Unfortunately, he left the motor running and closed the door. The door automatically locked.

Max probably freaked out a little. He stepped on the gear shift, putting the car in reverse. The sedan, with Max locked inside, began doing donuts…for nearly half an hour.

Anna Sobel, who lives across from the cul-de-sac, looked out her window when her three dogs began barking. “I saw the car going backwards in a circle,” she told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “There was a dog in there the whole time. … It was turning and turning and turning in a perfect circle.”

Max’s owner had another car key, but its battery was dead.

At one point the sedan stopped circling and went backward up a lawn, hitting a mailbox and some garbage cans. With the car stopped, officers from the Port St. Lucie Police Department were able to unlock the door by entering the code on the door’s keypad.

I have to admit the video taken by Sabol on her cell phone made me laugh until I cried. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, although the sedan had some minor damage. A tragedy to truly cry over was thankfully avoided.

“They should give that dog a [driver’s] license,” Sabol told the Sun-Sentinel. “He drives better than some people I’ve seen on the roads here.”

Photo: WPBF 25 News/Facebook

10,000 Pets Wanted for the Dog Aging Project Pack

There’s an old saying that the only bad thing about dogs is that they don’t live long enough. But dogs (and humans) may one day be able to live longer — and your very own dog could help make that happen.

The largest-ever study in canine aging was launched this week by the Dog Aging Project, an effort “to understand how genes, lifestyle, and environment influence aging,” according to its website, for the purpose of helping pets as well as people enjoy longer lives. The project is a joint effort of the University of Washington School of Medicine and the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.

The participants in this groundbreaking study will be 10,000 dogs. They won’t be laboratory dogs, fortunately, but pets who don’t have to leave their homes.

UPDATE: During the first week after the launch, over 65,000 people nominated their dogs, according to a Nov. 21, 2019 newsletter from the Dog Aging Project. The 10,000 dogs wanted was “a goal, not a limit!” the newsletter reports. “In fact, the number of dogs we can enroll in the Dog Aging Project Pack is actually UNLIMITED, and we wholeheartedly welcome continued nominations!”

You can nominate your dog to participate whether they’re old or young, big or small, a purebred or a mixed-breed. It’s you who’ll actually be doing all the work as a citizen scientist. Over a five-year period, you’ll need to complete surveys about your dog’s health and life experiences. You may be asked to do certain activities with your dog and report on their performance. You’ll be provided with a genetic testing kit to sample your dog’s saliva.

Of those 10,000 participants, 500 or so middle-aged, medium- to large-sized dogs will be selected for a clinical drug trial, Geekwire reports. The drug, rapamycin, may have anti-aging benefits for pets and people.

Thanks to advances in veterinary care, dogs are living longer than ever nowadays — and getting more geriatric diseases. The study’s chief scientific officer, Dr. Kate Creevy of Texas A&M University, told TODAY there are currently no standards for frailty or prognosis of sick older dogs. The results from the study will change that and possibly lead to medical breakthroughs.

Along with helping to increase life expectancy, the researchers want this project to help increase healthspan, the period of life spent free from disease.

The $23 million study is getting $15 million in funding from the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Dogs and people live together and get the same diseases, NIA Deputy Director Dr. Marie Bernard told TODAY.

I nominated Ella, my almost 10-year-old Pit Bull mix who still acts like a puppy, to become part of the “Dog Aging Project pack” (but I won’t be letting her participate in any drug trials). If you’d like to nominate your dog, complete a brief survey on the Dog Aging Project website.

Photo: Original_Frank

Adopt a Senior Dog for Free, Thanks to Stella & Chewy’s

Thinking about adopting a senior dog? Yay for you (and boo to anyone who dumps their older dog at a shelter)!

There are many benefits to adopting an older dog. Unlike their younger brethren, seniors are usually calmer and better behaved. Despite these qualities, they have a harder time finding forever homes. In fact, the vast majority of dogs adopted from shelters are younger than a year old, according to the ASPCA.

To help raise awareness of older dogs (and cats) needing forever homes, National Adopt a Senior Pet Month is observed every November. And to help more of these pets get adopted this month, the pet food company Stella & Chewy’s has pledged $25,000 to pay the fees for dogs and cats over four years old adopted from shelters and rescues across the United States. The company is also providing adopters with a free bag of pet food.

The Wisconsin-based company is named after founder Marie Moody’s dogs Stella and Chewy, who she adopted as seniors. So far this month, Stella & Chewy’s has paid for at least 35 senior pet adoptions, its website reports. If you’re rescuing a senior dog or cat (again, yay for you!), you can fill out an adoption reimbursement form online.

These are some of the benefits of adopting a senior dog, according to the ASPCA:

Older dogs are easier to train. It’s likely that they’ve already been potty-trained and know some basic commands.
You’ll instantly know the dog’s full-grown size and activity level, so it’s easy to determine if they’ll be a good fit for your lifestyle.
Senior dogs don’t have teething issues and probably won’t destroy your belongings.
Even if a dog spent years with their previous owner, they will quickly bond with you. “In fact, owners often easily form bonds with older pets due to the animals’ typically calmer dispositions, their familiarity with home environments, their experience dealing with other animals, and previous training,” notes the ASPCA.

Many thanks to Stella & Chewys for helping to get older pets adopted. Hopefully they’ll inspire other pet-related companies to do the same, so even more of these dogs can find the loving homes they deserve.

Photo: Schwoaze