Is it really about dog fighting?

So let me make sure I understand what folks are saying. So Mike Vick who just spent 18 months in a Federal Prison for fighting dogs should (a) still be in prison (b) not be allowed to earn a living in his field of choice "Is that Right".

Now let me first say that I don't believe in killing animals for sport. If you intentionally kill a animal you should eat it. When I am driving and a squirrel, skunk or cat runs out in front of me my first instinct is to swerve to miss it. But after I swerve I remind myself that swerving is more dangerous and that I should instead hit the darn thing. Watching those squirrels on that Geico commercial give each other high fives doesn't make a case for swerving either.

Critics who call Mike Vick an animal killer need to understand that killing animals is not illegal if the animal is suffering. Vick was was not convicted for killing dogs but for fighting dogs. Now let's look at other sporting events that have animals as the star attraction. Horse racing is a multi-billion dollar industry, where horses are breed to run. If the horse is injured and can no longer perform the task in which it was breed for it is killed. Greyhound racing is also a multi-billion dollar industry, where dogs are breed to run. If the greyhound is injured and can no longer perform the task in which it was breed for it is killed. I'm sure once upon a time greyhound racing was illegal.

Now those who breed animals didn't set out to kill their animals, but because the animals could no longer perform the task in which they were breed for they were too killed. What is the alternative to not killing injured, horses, greyhounds or mix breed dogs (some will say that rescue organizations would take the animals). Let's not forget that many of these animals are kept in cages the size of a poodle cages and often are on more drugs than a crack feen.

Now what's the difference between breeding dogs and horses to race and breeding dogs to fight. The first difference is the obvious, they are multi-billion dollar industries run by rich people. The second is that the powers at be have sanctioned these two activities as acceptable entertainment and therefore legal. And the last is they can control who enters the industry. There is just to many poor people involved with dog fighting, and regulating it would be a nightmare.

The bottom line is if horse and dog racing is legal dog fighting should be as well. Mike Vick has done his time for dog fighting so let it be. Right...That is Right