here http://adfoc.us/82923197690677
When the news broke that former Atlanta Falcons star quarterback Michael Vick was implicated in a long running illegal dog-fighting ring, the case shone a public light into the world of dog fighting. It showed the human spirit at its most degraded, a world where men gather in secret to gamble and celebrate as dogs are forced to fight to their deaths. Dogs that refused to fight were tortured, drowned, hanged, and electrocuted. Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison, (none for animal cruelty), and later returned to lucrative high-profile career in the NFL. Left behind in the aftermath were over 50 pit-bulls who associated humans with brutality, fear, and fighting. The judicial system had saved them from the ring, but what next? The Humane Society of the United States considered them to be the most aggressively trained pit-bulls in the country. PETA described them as a ticking time bomb. But, as one of the attorneys involved in the case explains, the general public and animal welfare advocates started asking the prosecutors why do you have to kill these dogs? The prosecutor said he received more calls and emails about the fate of the dogs than when a terrorist was arrested. The judge who decided their fate said he received over 3,000 emails and his assistant was taking 200 calls per day about the case at the time. A handful of organizations stepped up to this challenge, recognizing the dogs as the victims and willing to give them a second chance. A pit-bull rescue organization named BADRAP in San Francisco took ten of the dogs considered more adoptable. Best Friends Animal Society agreed to take 22 dogs that no one else could, the dogs many considered the most challenging. Even though the unique no-kill animal sanctuary, based in Southern Utah, had an extremely qualified and dedicated full-time staff of veterinarians, trainers, and caregivers, they were unsure whether or not they would succeed. They hoped that with time, patience,