PDA on behalf of the animals

A story today out of NYC is just one of many that have appeared in the news this year about animal abuse; it has not been the first time that a minor has been caught and/or arrested on animal cruelty charges. Nor, sadly, is it likely to be the last.

Learn the warning signs about children and animal cruelty. Children who abuse pets or who find entertainment in baiting animals against one another often grow up into abusive adults. Like any social behavior, children must learn from others.

On the other hand, the dogs rescued from Michael Vick's Bad Newz kennels have, for the most part, gone on to a variety of happy endings. Of the 51 dogs rescued, only one had to be put down for being too violent. One was euthanized for medical reasons; and two died while in shelters awaiting their outcome. The most amazing part? A few of the dogs who came from Bad Newz's kennels are now therapy dogs. Those who don't know better may cry out in shock at that; but those who know the breed state that pit bulls have actually been bred for hundreds of years to be the ultimate people-pleasers. (That being said, any dog - right down to the tiniest Chihuahua - will "live what they learn".) And therapy dogs have to go through extensive training and pass many tests to prove that they will not spook/startle easily and are not exhibiting any potentially vicious behaviors.