Not once have I ever suggested that Vick should be excused for what he did in the past.

He was convicted for his crimes. He's served his penalty. How long should he be a law abiding citizen until he's allowed to do things that a law abiding citizen is allowed to do?

If it were cats, no one would give two shits...

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

He has served the incarceration part of his sentence. He's still under lawful court order to not own them.

And if he's so damned concerned about owning a dog maybe he should have thought about that before slaughtering a bunch of them.

Sorry, fuck him. Tough shit. It's called punishment for a reason.
He's already been given far more mercy than he afforded those animals.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

And also, quite frankly i'm sure at this point in time, if Micheal vick were allowed to have a dog it would be a very well cared for, loved, nurtured, safe dog. Of course. He's in the public eye, he's trying to re-brand himself a bit, and he's making strides to help the SPCA and to end dog fighting. Fucking great, those are all good things, of COURSE! I'm sure he's not stupid enough to throw his (current) life away by entertaining himself with the same crime again.

From my point of view...I fucking HATE what this person did. It is a crime that resonates so utterly in my gut that I dont think it's something I could ever forgive him for, regardless of circumstances. And with that mentality, I also dont think he deserves the love of a dog. He's used them as nothing but temporary entertainment, and snuffed them out of existence when he'd abused them enough that he was no longer entertained. Fuck him, I dont want him to know the joy that a GOOD relationship with a dog brings. I honestly dont go around holding grudges about shit, and it's not like i'm all involved in dogs-rights causes and stuff, or that I think about micheal vick more than once a month...I just dont think that guy should be allowed to have dogs. Ever.

Listen.

If you have done those things to a dog, your mind is screwed up. Kind of like a Vietnam war vet is scarred for life. The dude isn't sane. He shot, stabbed, electrocuted, and beat dogs AFTER or BEFORE making them fight. Several times. He not only committed a crime, he did it several times. We aren't talking about a second chance. We're talking about like a tenth chance.

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"Counting all the assholes in the room, I'm definitely not alone!" ~ Michael Poulsen, Volbeat, Still Standing.

He never said he wanted to break his probation, or violate the terms of his release.

He was asked if he would like to get a dog in the future. He said that he would, if the opportunity presented itself, and that's it's not something he would take for granted.

So, I think it's pretty disingenuous to say that Vick wants a dog, and try to frame it like he's out there lobbying to get one. He was simply responding to an interviewer's question, and appropriately answered that someday if he could, he'd like to have a pet again.

Being a police cadet and taking the Animal Control calls when they're off i don't think people can ever change the way they really feel towards animals. Someone threw a bag with six puppies in it going down the highway...I had to respond to that (They all lived by some miracle, severly hurt though), i think of it this way. If the person had the nerve to place each puppy in the trashbag, put it in the car. Roll down the window, and throw the bag out there is no way that person should ever have a dog again. I don't think Vick should have one in his case either. I agree he served his time, and paid his dues but it doesn't make up for the terrible judgement he showed towards animals. Can someone with child abuse history on their record adopt a child?

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Yes, I'm the one making him look bad.

Oh poor Michael Vick.

I hope his future provides no such opportunity.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

since everyone insists on talking about pieces of shit...

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young people everywhere have been allowed to choose between love and a garbage disposal unit. everywhere they have chosen the garbage disposal unit. (guy debord)

I dont know if you're referring to CC, or me as the OP, but i'm definitely not trying to frame it like he's out there lobbying for it. That doesnt change the fact that I think he has a lot of gall to even utter the words about wanting one, possibly, in the future, etc etc.

I mean...wouldnt you bit a bit freaked out if you heard a recently released Susan Smith talking about starting her life over with her newfound love and starting a family? Does she deserve that? (yes, not the best comparison ever, but the best I could come up with atm.)

I agree.....if you can hurt animals (outside of hunting), I think something is fundementally wrong with you. Vick isn't trying to get a pet though right now, he just said he wants one some day. Having said that, if the time ever came where he did....I wouldn't trust him with any animal. I mean, if the guy can do what he did, I have a hard time thinking he could just wake up normal one day.

I have two dogs and I feel guilty sometimes when I smack them in the butt with a shoe they chewed on so electrocuting and shooting them would be in the realm of NOT EVER GOING TO FUCKING HAPPEN. Further more, anyone who thought it was okay to do so would get a board full of nails to the teeth before they were aloud anywhere near my animals.

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My sort of father-in-law (wife's mother's boyfriend) was convicted of multiple drunk driving offenses. He lost his license for a period of time and had a breathalizer-controlled car to go to work for a while as well. But you know what? He hasn't had a drink in years, and he's got his driver's license back, because according to the state authorities, he's rehabilitated. And I agree. He's not some threat to our lives when he gets behind the wheel. So, I have no problem with him driving again. What's to say Vick can't get to that point with dogs? I'm siding with Squanto on this one.

He should abide by the conditions of his release, whatever they may be. I do believe that a person's attitude toward animals can be changed -- he is not a sociopath -- as can numerous other philosophies that someone may have, but he has to abide by the conditions that are allowing him to have as much freedom as he does now. It may be regrettable that he cannot get a dog for his children, but he has to live with the consequences of his actions.

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Miles to go before I sleep

‎"Love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation."
-Khalil Gibran

Drunk driving and killing animals is NOT the same thing.
Drunk driving is usually a stupid mistake.
Torturing and killing animals for a betting sport and in this case repeatedly and pre-meditated is sick and evil.

No, he's forfeited that privilege.
It's great he loves animals, he has the rest of his life to think about that.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

I implied nothing of the sort for fuck's sake. I was making a comment in general.

Well then it came out wrong because both Yankee and I bit on it.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

His mind is already fucked. Killing animals like that isn't a "mistake".

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"Counting all the assholes in the room, I'm definitely not alone!" ~ Michael Poulsen, Volbeat, Still Standing.

out of curiosity, what exactly is his sentence?

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PSA: I am an overly sarcastic person. If you take me at my word, then i will most likely anger and offend you.

Well, to address the "celebrity" aspect of all of this, it's my opinion that he more than likely received the severe sentence he did precisely because he's a celebrity. I think they made an example of him. How many people convicted of dog-fighting do you think actually serve prison time? He served nearly two years in jail. Would some Joe-blow off the street with no prior record be so aggressively prosecuted? I doubt it.

Hm...that is a good point. It's hard to tell because while dog fighting rings are regularly broken up, there is almost zero media attention about what the sentences are. I have to think proven ringleaders are given SOME jail time, not just slapped on the wrist or something.

On another note though, ok, you want Vick to have the right to own a dog again, should everyone convicted of running dog fighting rings, and killing multiple dogs in terrible ways be able to own dogs again after they've served their pittance of a sentence? Does it not seem reasonable to say "hey, this person has shown they have zero respect for the life of a dog, and their own personal ethics allow them to do these terrible things, lets nip this in the bud and not let them own dogs again." ?