News Releases

Guardian of Vick pit bulls comments on case

Friday, January 25, 2008

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Valparaiso University School of Law professor Rebecca J. Huss, court-appointed guardian/special master of the American pit bull terriers in the Michael Vick case, has released the following statement today following sentencing of the final federal defendant charged in the Bad Newz Kennel investigation by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

“I expect that most, if not all, of the rescue organizations that accepted dogs in this case will be providing information to the public about the progress of the dogs,” Huss said. “The reports I have received indicate that the dogs are settling into their new lives. It is a big adjustment for many of these dogs as this is the first opportunity for these dogs to live in the ‘real world.’

“I enjoyed meeting all the dogs and was comfortable interacting with each of them. Some were quite timid and shy, while others were more confident. I was very impressed with the resiliency of the dogs,” she added. “Unfortunately there are no records on the veterinary care or treatment of the dogs. Some of the dogs have scarring that may indicate that they had been trained for fighting, but many have no scarring or indications that they had been trained or fought at all.

“There is no clear record of the ages of the dogs; estimates for this are probably being made by the veterinarians working with the rescue organizations. It did appear that a few of the dogs were quite young (four to six months) when they entered into the shelters in April. I have been told, with the possible exception of one dog, that all the dogs were kept outside in the back of the property.

“I was not told whether any of the outdoor kennels on the property were used for any of the American pit bull terriers or if they were used for the beagles that were in the custody of the state. I do know that all the dogs that were initially placed in one of the Virginia shelters were on chains in the back of the property.”

In her recommendation to the court in December, Huss stated she believes many of these pit bulls will eventually be eligible for adoption by the public, though it is impossible to know when that might occur.

“I am hopefully that many of the dogs will eventually be able to be adopted,” Huss said. “One of the important reasons to use experienced rescue organizations is because a dog’s behavior can change when his or her environment changes. During this period – which could be a substantial period of time but will vary based on the dog – the dog will undergo training and learn how to live in the real world.

“At the time I submitted my report and recommendations to the court it appeared that 25 of the dogs may never be ready for adoption or it could take several years for the dogs to be ready for adoption. These are dogs that were deemed to be ‘lifetime care’ dogs. All the organizations have committed to provide care for each dog or dogs’ lifetime, regardless of whether they were put into this category at the time of the report.”

Huss, a recognized expert on animal law, said the unfortunate reality is that there are many other dogs in similar situations to what happened to Vick’s pit bulls.

“I am hopeful that the attention brought to this case can raise awareness about who are the true victims in dog-fighting cases – the dogs,” she said. “I believe that the dogs that are seized in dog-fighting cases should be viewed individually. This case generated a great deal of attention and a large number of people contacted the U.S. Attorney’s Office offering to help. Due to that fact, I believe it was important to have a process to determine the placement of the dogs with rescue organizations.

“In other cases, providing for evaluations of the dogs to determine whether there could be any public safety issues and then placing them with appropriate rescue groups that the organization caring for the dogs knows and trusts may be sufficient.”

For more information:
Tom Shaer
Media Relations Consultant, Valparaiso University School of Law
(224) 305-2551
shaermedia@aol.com
www.sportslawclinic.org  and  www.valpo.edu/law

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