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Title: Michael Vick's Doing Fine; His Dog, Not So Much
Source:
Dallas Observer.com
URL Source: http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/spo ... of_michael_vicks_dogs_find.php
Published: Jun 26, 2010
Author: Richie Whitt
Post Date: 2010-06-26 17:29:17 by James Deffenbach
Keywords: None
Views: 210
Comments: 15
Richard Hunter has a new member of his household. That's him, quivering in the corner. Shaking uncontrollably. Convulsing. The 4-year-old is scared shitless. "He lives in fear," Hunter says of his new best friend, Mel. "You would too if you'd been beating and traumatized your whole life." Michael Vick is out of prison and back in the NFL. But the dogs he tortured - the ones he didn't kill, that is - will never escape his dark shadow. "Mel's come a long way. We can pet him. He sleeps in bed with us," Hunter says. "But he's scarred for life. He's never barked. Never made a noise. There are times when he's just terrified." Hunter, who for years hosted a talk show on various Dallas radio stations and these days produces a daily podcast at www.richardhuntershow.com, was outraged by the gruesome details of Vick's dog-fighting ring. He ranted about how Vick should never be allowed to play in the NFL again. "Prison or not, I didn't think this guy would play another down," Hunter says. "I never thought the American public would stand for this. In our small way, we wanted to make our statement." Hunter and his wife, who live in Dallas, have a 13-year-old Terrier named Pumpkin. But after reading the details of Vick's own trial testimony about how the dogs were treated - hooked up to a car battery and electrocuted, teeth yanked out so they couldn't bite handlers during sessions on a rape stand, hanging, drowning, thrown for sport - the couple decided to adopt one of the battered and beleagured Pit Bulls. That 18-month journey started when they contacted Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah . Initially told no dog was adoption-ready, nine months later the couple underwent a federal background check. That was followed by a home visit from a case worker, then a visit - via car, on their own dime - to Utah where they lived in a cabin for a week and introduced themselves and Pumpkin to Mel. Finally approved by the society and the judge who sent Vick to jail, Hunter had Mel hand-delivered by a case worker and a trainer in September. The trainer stayed in a Dallas hotel and visited Mel in his new home every day for a week before leaving. "Shy is an understatement," Hunter says of Mel. "Remember, he was used as a 'bait' dog." That means, essentially, that Mel was a canine piñata, beaten daily by Vick and his cronies to kill his fighting spirit. Once "de-fanged" of his will, Mel was thrown into a pit with prized fighting dogs who practiced their aggression on the hapless, defenseless - and, even worse, muzzled - bait dog. "To consider what he went through, his resiliency is amazing," Hunter says. "For the first couple years of this dog's life every time he saw a human being [he thought] something terrible was about to happen to him." Give the assist to Pumpkin. The two dogs hit it off, with the elder sensing the fear in his new introvert friend. When a stranger enters Hunter's house, Mel freaks out. He grabs his monkey security blanket, slowly backs up into the corner and quivers. In front of him, standing as guard, is Pumpkin. And since Mel can't - or won't - use vocal communication, it's Pumpkin who barks for him, often waking Hunter late at night to find Mel at the back door needing a bathroom break. "While Vick is pure evil, this dog is so good despite having suffered through such hell that he's truly changed my life," Hunter says. "I can't support a league that allows Vick to play in it. "At the same time, Mel has enriched our lives beyond our wildest dreams."
Poster Comment: Michael Vick should have had jumper cables attached to his testes and the other end to a twelve-volt car battery, fully charged. And lit up for about an hour and a half for every dog he traumatized, maimed and murdered. There are no words to describe someone like him.
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#6. To: James Deffenbach (#0)
(Edited)
Although not common knowledge outside the trade, if you operate a single phase DC motor backwards, that is, put a hand crank on the shaft and wire the two poles to a victim, it becomes a generator. As the former School Of The Americas, now WHINSEC teaches a car battery wired to the wedding package is not the proper way to "win hearts and minds". Shocking is done with very little amperage and more than 12 volts. Even a small car battery putting out 350 cold cranking amps for instance would likely burn the genitalia off if the electrodes (connected to the poles) are close enough together, and if separated any distance 12 V isn't enough electrical pressure to travel through flesh. A battery charger (which puts out a higher charging voltage at much lower amperage-remember, you push voltage and you pull amps or current) is the "preferred by experts choice" and it can be hooked directly to the ewe gno whats, or simply touched to wet skin to achieve the desired effect.
Well, I have a little stun gun that is 950,000 volts. I think it would do the job and I would keep buying batteries for it as long as it took. And thanks for the info.
You bet. My ex boss ordered a cattle prod through the mail and he decided to test it on the nuisance yapping neighbor dog. He leaned over the fence and touched the dog and he thought he killed the poor thing. It held 6 or 8 "C" batteries which in series adds up to nine or twelve volts. When that much voltage is stepped up it puts out more than enough to control the biggest and otherwise uncooperative bull, either through the metal rings in their noses or by shocking their haunches. An animal weighing in at a ton would be largely indifferent to the small stun guns that work so well on people. It's not unusual for a stock prod to "displace approx. 5,500 kV," which is 5 and a half million volts.
#14. To: HOUNDDAWG (#12)
Just the sight and sound of my little stun gun arcing is enough to stop most (relatively) sane people. I can't even imagine how long they would lay around if you stuck that cattle prod to them. I bet they wouldn't even look your way again other than to move to the other side of the street.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/LatestMichael Vick should have had jumper cables attached to his testes and the other end to a twelve-volt car battery, fully charged. And lit up for about an hour and a half for every dog he traumatized, maimed and murdered. There are no words to describe someone like him.
#10. To: HOUNDDAWG (#6)
Shocking is done with very little amperage and more than 12 volts. Even a small car battery putting out 350 cold cranking amps for instance would likely burn the genitalia off if the electrodes (connected to the poles) are close enough together, and if separated any distance 12 V isn't enough electrical pressure to travel through flesh.
#12. To: James Deffenbach (#10)
Well, I have a little stun gun that is 950,000 volts. I think it would do the job and I would keep buying batteries for it as long as it took.
Replies to Comment # 12. An animal weighing in at a ton would be largely indifferent to the small stun guns that work so well on people. It's not unusual for a stock prod to "displace approx. 5,500 kV," which is 5 and a half million volts.
End Trace Mode for Comment # 12.