Dog fighting has been making national headlines after NFL quarterback Michael Vick and three
of his partners were found to have been operating an illegal, underground dogfighting ring known
as "Bad News Kennels".
How is it that someone in the spotlight such as Michael Vick is able to hide his illegal
activities away for so long?
Contrary to his experience in the NFL, Vic was also starting an illegal dog-fighting
ring on his property.
Vic went to great lengths to set up this cruel operation.
Vic got a license as a dog breeder and had fences installed so that the operation was
hidden.
They also installed areas to keep the dog separated from one another.
You won't believe how many dogs he had caged at his illegal Kennel.
The “Bad Newz Kennels” housed and trained up to 50 pit bulldogs.
Illegal dog fights were staged on the property undetected by law enforcement.
Sadly, there are many more operations like this taking place in the US that are undetected.
It will break your heart to know what he did to the dogs that didn't perform well.
The authorities discovered that the dogs who did not perform well in the fight were brutally
killed in this shed on Vic's property.
As for the surviving dogs, their lives have turned around and you'll never believe where
they are now, but how did the police eventually get wind of Vic's operation?
Michael Vick's cousin, Devon body was arrested on other charges.
Body gave authorities Vic's address as his home address.
While the police were searching the property, they came across some very suspicious evidence
of another crime taking place on the property.
The police located a blood-stained dog fighting pit, a break stick used to open a fighting
dog's mouth performance enhancing substances, paperwork related to dog fighting and other
incriminating evidence.
A second search warrant was granted for the newly discovered crime.
And Michael Vick was facing interrogation by the authorities.
His statement given was this Michael Vick initially denied involvement in the illegal
activity, blaming other family members who lived on the property.
He stated he never visited his Virginia home.
This is when the authorities brought in the department of agriculture investigation, a
full investigation of the property.
What they found will truly shock you.
The department of agriculture joined the investigation and located the remains of several dogs buried
on the property.
All the animals had been brutally murdered.
The authorities were coming down hard on Vic now, which left him no choice.
Because of the severity of the animal abuse, Michael Vick served 18 months in prison and
was suspended by the NFL indefinitely.
He was also confined to home arrest and was placed on three years, supervised probation.
The dogs on the other hand were freed from their cages.
The American Society for The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, ASPCA took custody and
analyzed 49 of the seized animals, and then recommended what their fate would be.
Only one was euthanized because it was deemed two aggressive.
After the dogs were rescued and Vic was sentenced to jail time, his property was placed on auction.
The highest bidder will blow your mind.
After the horrors experienced by the dogs at Michael Vick's kennel, his home was sold
at an auction.
Dogs deserve better had the winning bid.
Now the home once used to torture and kill animals is a sanctuary to help dogs find their
forever homes.
With the help of Best Friends Animal Society, the dogs rescued were transformed from fighting
machines into loving adoptable pets.
You won't believe how hard these pups trained for the good life.
These dogs experienced quite a turn of events, but with a bit of hard work and a lot of caring
and patience, they achieved greatness.
Soon, they would be on their way to settling in with their new families in their forever
homes.
After being rehabilitated in Utah, handsome, Dan found his forever home.
Handsome Dan's dad says that he is a nanny dog to the couple's child.
While handsome Dan lives out the rest of his life as a nanny and caregiver.
Other rescues like Georgia will melt your heart with their stories.
Georgia is believed to have been one of Vic's favorite and best fighting dogs.
Her teeth were removed while in custody to prevent her from injuring other dogs during
breeding.
After her rescue, she found love and peace.
Georgia has since crossed the rainbow bridge, but she will forever remain in her new owner's
heart, even if she was only with them for a short time.
In honor of Georgia and the other victory dogs that either did not make it or passed
some time later, dogs deserve better held a private tree planting ceremony where plaques
scribed with each of the dog's names are placed in front of each tree.
Once ward got out that there were more of these dogs seeking forever homes.
People like this next couple signed a waiting list just to give these dogs a chance at a
good life.
Lance passed the court ordered Canine good citizen test, which allowed him to finally
be adopted by a loving couple who waited two years before they could take him home.
A similar adoption story unfolded for this next dog, Cherry Garcia, who loves to cuddle
with kittens in her spare time.
After surviving the nightmare at the Bad Newz Kennels and having a hind leg amputated.
Cherry Garcia has found her forever home, where she loves to snuggle with kittens and
play with her other Canine friend.
Now that is one happy pupper.
After what she endured at Bad Newz Kennels, you can believe she's going to soak up all
of the love and affection she possibly can.
And she deserves it.
Look at the smile on that face, you're going to start seeing a lot of happy faces on the
rest of these rescued pups.
Uba was given a second chance and is holding her head high.
Nothing is ever going to bring her down again, just like her friend, Ray.
Ray was adopted and loved to be social because of that his owner's life was changed.
Ray loved to go on walks, which caused his owner to have to talk with strangers along
the way.
Sadly, Ray took a walk across the rainbow bridge to meet Georgia.
But while he was with his new family, he gave them a special gift.
He gave them a new outlook on life and really made them get out and live it.
All of these rescue dogs were given something truly special.
The new sense of hope given to these dogs is truly heartwarming.
Just when it seemed like they had no hope left in the world, they were given a second
chance to in still that hope in others.
The amount of love and joy, they brought to so many people after what they endured says
so much about what dogs are really capable of overcoming.
We, humans could all take a lesson on how to overcome adversity from these pups.