Much has been written in the media and on blogs about the case against NFL quarterback Michael Vick and his involvement in illegal dog fighting.

The message is clear: He is "guilty" of a dispicable crime. He likely will never pay what he really owes society in terms of tarnished image and cruelty to animals.

....but, my question has always been, "What about the dogs??" What happens to the dogs forced to fight for their lives in the pit?

It is assumed by many that dogs rescued from such an environment and under those circumstances must be euthanized because they could never become somebody's pet. In fact, it is assumed by some that all "pit bulls" are dangerous animals and should be outlawed.

Well, I'm glad to report that "it ain't so!"

The National Geographic Channel is featuring on Friday nights a program titled: "Dog Town: Saving the Michael Vick Dogs". It is a documentary about the challenges faced by the trainers, caregivers and Veterinarians/Vet Techs of "Dog Town", a canine sanctuary in Utah run by the Best Friends Animal Society.

I watched it last night and found myself tearing up more than a couple of times. Not only is Best Friends rehabilitating these abused dogs, they are dispelling a lot of the "myths" about pit bulls as a breed. ....and, I'm learning alot about dog training and dog psychology in the process.

For more information, the NGC schedule is here: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/tv-schedule
Best Friends Animal Society is here: http://www.bestfriends.org/

I highly recommend both watching the show and visting their websites.

It is a good show and I am glad they are showing the aftermath and the amount of labor and love involved in trying to fix some of wrong that was done to those dogs so they have a chance at a real life.

And I am really glad they were showing some of the perseverance involved. Many of the dogs have an incurable blood borne illness usually spread by fighting. Many of them do see another dog and react. Many of them are poorly socialized. But you don't write off a living being because it's sick. You treat it. You don't say "oh, this one's ruined" because it does what it was taught we wanted it to do and fights other dogs - you teach it to behave in an appropriate manner.

Mostly, though, I am glad that they are showing the dogs as real dogs - playing, wagging their tails, getting belly rubs, learning new tricks and desparately trying to please, rather then as bloody, dangerous, unsalvageable victim-monsters at the end of control sticks.

Another good one, minus PETA and HSUS - whom originally wanted the dogs euthanized and later changing their tune, is Animal Witness; the Michael Vick Case on Animal Planet.

here is the link - if you can get beyond the first half (lots of dog fighting images) it is a great show.

http://animal.discovery.com/tv/animal-w ... index.html