An un-Vick-torious act of crime

Commentary by Felicia D. McDaniel, Globe Sports Editor

Arange of emotions crossed my mind when I heard about Michael Vick’s conduct toward animals. As a dog lover, I was furious, but then I began to think about the race factor. Vick was recently the headliner on every news channel, and yet the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, a disaster in which more than 2,000 people lost their lives, came and went without the media attention Vick had received days before.
    In April, 66 living dogs and the remains of nearly 10 were found on the grounds of Vick’s Virginia home. Dog fighting is an illegal activity and federal offense in all 50 states, and Vick was suspended indefinitely from the NFL. He could face up to five years in prison.
    Vick obviously has some anger issues and must be a bit crazed in the head to do the things he did to those innocent dogs. After all, he was a six-year veteran and respected in the league, not some wide-eyes rookie looking for direction. He was considered an elite quarterback in the league with more endorsements than he could count.
    I cannot understand the fascination of some young black men with making their dogs mean and angry. There is an arrogance among black men in urban areas who stroll up the street with a dog while everyone else breaks for the other side. Why make everyone fearful of you and turn an innocent animal into something angry and rabid for no reason?
    Last year while at a gas station in Oakland, I saw a beautiful pit bull in the back seat of a car. Since he was still a puppy, I felt safe enough to walk over. I greeted the dog and it began to whine as if he wanted me to pet him. The owner, who was a young black man, immediately began to snatch the chain on the dog’s neck and tell him not to be “a punk.” I asked him if there was a better way he could respond to his dog and suggested that he not try to make such a beautiful dog so evil. The dog quickly responded to his command and seemed well behaved, so I couldn’t understand why the extra domination was necessary. The man pleaded his case that the dog wasn’t going to be “no punk.”
    When I was growing up, I don’t recall ever seeing pit bulls, except for Petey on “Our Gang.” Doberman pinschers were the dogs we feared most, and German shepherds were the dogs people loved. In the late 1980s, the hiphop culture became fixated on rotweillers, and now this generation of hip-hop heads is into pit bulls. Our dogs were called names like “Duke,” and now they have names synonymous with the Italian mafia and violence.
    I have three children: Chico, CoCo and Petey, and they have four legs each. Those of us who are dog lovers have our dogs of choice, and for me, it’s been Chihuahuas. I prefer lap dogs to the bigger ones because I think they are cuter. However, I respect the fact that not everyone loves smaller dogs, especially Chihuahuas.
    Dogs are an extension of their owners, and since we love them, people in our lives grow to love them as well. I can scold my dogs and they will still love me unconditionally, and that alone makes me feel bad when I look into their eyes. They bring me unspeakable joy, and after a rough day, they make all of my troubles go away when they greet me with so much love and excitement. If I step on them accidentally, hearing them squeal in pain makes me feel horrible.
    We’ve all grown up pulling the legs off of grasshoppers, putting bees in jars and pouring salt on poor, unsuspecting snails, but when we become adults, we move on. For Michael Vick to assist in purposely killing another living being for profit is disturbing and painful for me to hear. How could he look a dog in the eye knowing that he would soon betray it because it wasn’t raking in the money and didn’t have the “fight” in him that would make him a more desirable dog?
    I know people from all racial backgrounds are involved in dog fighting, but since Vick is a professional athlete whose career is on the line, he is going to be used as an example. The message is loud and clear: America will get you for acts against an animal faster than those against a child, teenager or adult who has been violated or murdered.
    This should be a wake-up call to those who think they are untouchable because they have money, and a bigger wake-up call to those who still want to be involved in the illegal, underground activity of dog fighting.
    Vick had it all, and he should be punished for his acts. What could be worth gambling a $22-million signing bonus and a contract worth $130 million? A multi-state dog ring and the chanced to assist in the electrocution, strangulation and drowning of dogs? A modern-day Jekyll and Hyde with an evil side, Vick lacked good judgment, compassion and, most of all, common sense.
    Once I saw a television show where a woman stated that the word “dog” was “God” spelled backward. Although it generated a laugh from the audience, the statement stuck with me. Just as we were created by a superior being, so were dogs. They bring joy to the elderly and the terminally ill, they assist those with physical disabilities and, above all, they serve as companions to all.