While the Philadelphia Eagles have decided it's OK for Michael Vick to play professional football, they apparently don't think it's OK for fans to express their opposition to his participation in dogfighting.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Kori Martin said she was stopped by security personnel as she entered Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia last Sunday because she was wearing a T-shirt with the words "Losers fight pitbulls" on the front and Vick's name and No. 7 crossed out. On the back, her shirt said, "You don't deserve a second chance."
Martin said she was told the shirt was offensive to the players and was prevented from entering until she agreed to turn it inside out. She said she was told that the policy came from the team's top management.
A team official, however, told the Inquirer that there was no such policy banning anti-Vick clothing. Martin said she was angered by the incident.
"Not only has (owner) Jeffrey Lurie and the Eagles organization supported a dog murderer by signing this convict," she said, "but now they want to take away my freedom of speech just because I don't agree with them?"
Good point.
Meanwhile, Vick spoke at a church in Washington D.C. this week that was sparsely attended by teenagers, who are supposedly his intended audience. As in previous speeches, Vick talked about himself but not about the dogs he has acknowledged killing.
"Anything can happen when you're fighting dogs at 2 or 3 in the morning," he told the assembled group. "I'm blessed to be before you and still have my life. It's like standing on the corner and dealing drugs. It's a criminal life."
Nothing, however, about the dogs that lost their lives.
It's worth noting that, although there were six D.C. police officers in attendance, no incidents occurred. Vick parked his Mercedes Benz behind the church and was escorted inside by the cops.
As he spoke, a banner saying "End dogfighting" hung behind him. I wonder what stadium security would have done if Kori Martin wore a T-shirt with those words on it.
Here's a Vick update that may surprise you: Vick's agent, Joel Segal, announced that his client has signed an endorsement deal with Nike, which dropped Vick in August 2007 after he admitted guilt in a dogfighting ring that sent him to prison. Now they're back together.
But I'm not on board. From now on, I boycott Nike products.
Socializing your dog is probably the most important thing you can do as a pet owner. Taking him on walks to meet people and other dogs prevents the kind of situation that a Pomeranian named Gizmo is now facing in Aspen, Colo.
A judge has threatened to order Gizmo to be euthanized if the 13-year-old dog bites anyone else. The dog was kept in an animal shelter for 10 days after biting a woman in August - clearly not the first time he's bitten someone.
"As a judge, the hardest decision I ever have to make is to take someone's pet away or euthanize it," Judge Brooke Peterson told Gizmo's owner, Melinda Goldrich, last week. "But you and I have been dealing with your dog since 2006 ... and your excuses have worn out my patience."
Peterson told Goldrich that it's curtains for Gizmo (not the dog pictured above) if he's seen in Aspen again. A friend in a nearby town has offered to care for the dog.
I blame the owner, first for not socializing her pet as a puppy, second for not making sure it could not bite anyone else after it became obvious the dog was vicious. It's every pet owner's responsibility.
Yes, even small dogs can be vicious.
All our dogs have special meaning to us, but this week the American Kennel Club recognized five that can be called very, very special. They're the winners of the AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE), which recognizes loyal, hard-working dogs that serve and assist their owners and/or their communities.
The awards are given in five categories: law enforcement, search and rescue, therapy, service and exemplary companion dog. Winners receive $1,000 and engraved collar medallions that will be awarded at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in Long Beach, Calif., on Dec. 12.
You can read about the winning dogs on the AKC site, but a couple that stand out are Electra, an eight-year-old Standard Poodle and former show dog that has been a constant companion to Mandy Willis of Valrico, Fla., who was diagnosed with cancer last year; and Robin, a six-year-old Golden Retriever owned by Joseph and Mary MacQueen of Frewsburg, N.Y., that works with area law enforcement and is responsible for taking about $500,000 worth of illegal drugs off the streets.
Congratulations to the winners.
Crimes against people's pets are particularly frightening. Our dogs and cats are helpless and vulnerable, and when they're deliberately harmed, we hope the justice system will step in and punish the criminals swiftly - and with an appropriate sentence.
In my hometown this week, a man was sentenced to six months in county jail after he pleaded no contest to beating his girlfriend's seven-pound Miniature Pinscher to death. I won't go into the horrid details, but Ryan Reeser, 27, allowed the six-year-old dog, named Godiva, to bleed to death, then threw the body into a plastic storage container, where it was found the next day by the woman's father.
Was six months an appropriate sentence? I'm still debating that in my mind. I'm glad to see the man put behind bars for committing such a dreadful act, but I wonder if six months is long enough, either as punishment or a deterrent to others.
Does it fit the crime? Should he have been imprisoned for one year? Longer?
Let me know what you think.
Summer ends this week, but it doesn't necessarily mean the end of sunny days. That's why, as pet owners, we should all be aware that dogs can be susceptible to skin cancer.
Hard to believe, considering that they're covered in fur, but skin tumors, which may be cancerous, are the most common tumors found in dogs.
According to the Web site WebMD, sun damage to a dog's skin can be a cause of skin cancer in some varieties of dogs. If your pet has a thin or light-colored coat, it's possible he can be exposed to damage from the sun. Same thing with the nose and foot pads, which have no hair to protect him from the sun's rays.
Some types of dog skin cancer are fatal if untreated, so you should always have your vet check your pet if you notice any suspicious growths.
Three of the most common forms of dog skin cancer are malignant melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma and mast cell tumors. Certain types of cancer can appear more frequently in specific breeds; Labrador Retrievers, Beagles, Boston Terriers and Schnauzers, for example, can be more susceptible to mast cell tumors.
If your pet spends considerable time outdoors, you should read this story.
