Michael Vick's Abused Pit Bulls Are Given A New Leash On Life - Page 2
So if you ever wondered how bad dog fighting is, here's your answer. To its everlasting credit, "DogTown" does not sensationalize the abuse; the histories of the dogs are simply pieced together from behavior patterns and physical evidence, which is much more chilling and effective. And while Garcia and dog care manager Michelle Besmehn are clear in their condemnation of the "sport," they are more concerned with proving that pit bulls are not by nature dangerous animals and that even severely abused dogs can become loving pets for the proper owners.
The goal in each case — save Meryl's — is adoption, but "DogTown" does not offer some miraculous "before and after" cure. Instead, viewers are taken through the painstaking process of first reaching the animals, earning their trust and then training them to behave with control in the Dogtown environment. In one story thread, Besmehn is drawn to Cherry because he is shy like her, and she spends the better part of a day just sitting with the dog and sees extraordinary progress when Cherry sniffs her coat and her arm.
Not much gets me upset faster than the torture and abuse of an animal. I sit here and look at my two cats, whom I raised on a bottle from the time they were three weeks old and for whom I ran into a burning house to save, and I wonder just what it is in humans that would make them willingly and knowingly inflict such pain on God's creatures, animals who were given to us for companionship and love. I can look out the back windows of my home and, at the very back part of my little acre, I can see a fenced-in field in which three or four rescue horses contently munch grass...horses with scars on their bodies, thin flanks and jutting rib cages, who really do not like our lawn mower, and wonder why anyone would do such a thing to such magnificent creatures.
I strongly urge anyone reading this who cares about animals to find their local animal rescue center or shelter and make a donation of food, litter, blankets, or money. Six to eight million animals will enter shelters in the United States this year alone, so while you're there, you might consider adopting one of the little lost animals and making it your forever friend...but please do not adopt more animals than you can take care of, and make sure you are a good fit with the animal you are considering adopting. One of the key phrases in the quoteblock above is "the proper owners"...do not adopt an animal that you cannot take care of or that is not a good fit to your household. I can just take care of the two I have, any more would be cruel to all concerned, but I will donate to my local shelter so that other animals can be fed and sheltered and adopted out to loving homes.
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