Jim Gorant: The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick's Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption

SUSSEX 2610: ROSE (ANIMAL FARM FOUNDATION) SUSSEX 2611: DENZEL (BEST FRIENDS)

Denzel arrived as an emergency medical case, his babesia driving him into a state of extremely poor health. He didn’t have any fear issues, but he was in and out of the clinic for months, getting blood transfusions and a constantly changing mix of medicines. Finally, the vets found a combination that worked, and he’s been in good health since. He’s learned more tricks than any other Vick dog-he’s best known for waving to visitors. And although he can’t live with other dogs and currently lives in a separate run, he’s learning to get along with them. He’s walking with other dogs without becoming agitated but he’s not yet ready for a playmate. He’s been so easy to train and so willing to work that his caregivers have high hopes for him.

SUSSEX 2612: MERYL (BEST FRIENDS)

Meryl arrived with a history of lashing out at people and a court order stating that she would have to remain at Best Friends for life. When anyone she didn’t know and trust (which was basically everyone) approached, she would glare, bark, growl, and occasionally snap. The staff realized these were defense mechanisms Meryl was using to deal with her fear. To help Meryl get over these trust issues, the staff limited her contact to only a few people. As she got to know those people and feel comfortable around them she became not just friendlier but downright loving. As those relationships built, Meryl gained confidence and eventually expanded the circle of people she could relax around. She was always friendly with other dogs and even enjoys hanging around with some of the cats at Best Friends, and today she can even deal with strangers as long as someone she trusts is nearby.

SUSSEX 2613: STELLA (SPCA FOR MONTEREY)

Stella has been friendly and enthusiastic from the start, doling out kisses and tail wags with little discretion. What she possessed in joie de vivre she lacked in basic skills-couldn’t walk on leash, wouldn’t walk through doors, didn’t even know her name. Over time, the SPCA staff and Stella’s foster family worked through most of those issues and now she’s happily settled into her foster home. She loves attention and likes playing and wrestling with her foster family’s dog, Pepper, even though she’s comically uncoordinated and clumsy while doing so. Stella also loved to hang out with fellow Vick dog Red. When she was around Red, she chased him, bumped him, and tried to entice him to play. Still, the easiest way to get Stella’s attention is to tear open a bag of food; she’ll come at a sprint to find out what it is and if she can get any.

SUSSEX 2614: HARRIET (RECYCLED LOVE)

Believed to be Vick’s personal dog, she’s likely never been fought, and because Harriet was so well-mannered and comfortable around people she received better treatment than many of the other dogs while waiting in government shelters. One attendant from the Sussex shelter remembered her well and said that she was one of the few dogs regularly taken outside for walks and exercise. Because she was so friendly and well-behaved she also received a lot more attention, with people regularly stopping by her kennel to talk and play. Despite the advantages she had over many of the other dogs, Harriet, too, showed signs of fear and kennel stress, which gives some indication of how profoundly the long stay in government care contributed to the problems all the dogs struggled with.

She was taken in by Recycled Love and went to the home of Paul DeSantis, a Baltimore lawyer who was the group’s president at the time. DeSantis has two other pit bulls that Harriet followed around like a puppy. She learned as much from the other dogs as she did from DeSantis, who worked with her on basic skills and obedience. He also took her to a nearby training facility where Harriet could participate in classes with unfamiliar dogs, and challenge herself and build confidence on an obstacle course that included bridges, slalom runs, tunnels, and teeter-totters, among other things. DeSantis has since moved to a farm in rural Maryland, where Harriet and her pals have all the room and freedom they could want.

SUSSEX 2615: TUG (BEST FRIENDS)

A big (sixty-five-pound) exuberant lug, Tug earned his name honestly-when he’s on a leash he loves to drag anyone holding on along for a ride. That little behavioral tick is far more welcome than the one he had upon arrival: compulsively licking his fence. The obsessive behavior was probably a result of kennel stress and as Tug wound down through a steady course of training, agility drills, and lots of exercise, the unwanted activity cured itself. Now he’s simply a big, goofy dog, especially around people he knows and feels comfortable with. Unless they have a camera. He’s deathly afraid of them. He’s begun working with other dogs and has done well, showing signs that he may one day be able to live with them. For now, he has his own run, where he loves to chase lizards and jump around. If any visitor is bold enough to enter his space and sit on the ground, Tug will run at them full speed, jump in the air, and land right in their lap.

SUSSEX 2616: LUCAS (BEST FRIENDS)

One of Vick’s two known grand champion fighters, Lucas is under court order to spend the rest of his days at Best Friends. He has been very sick at times with babesia, and he’s had to do a few two- or three-night stints in the clinic while vets tinkered with his medications to find something that would work.

None of that has stopped Lucas from having his fun. Confident and friendly around people, Lucas loves being the center of attention and spends three days a week hanging around the executive offices at Best Friends, where he gets to bond with the staffers who work there and meet the many people who come and go during the course of a day. He loves his toys and the dog park, a grassy two-acre field where he can run free. He can’t live with other dogs, but he doesn’t react when another dog walks by or sits close to him. He even has a girlfriend, a female pit bull that lives in a neighboring run and licks his face through the fence that separates their living areas.

SUSSEX 2619: MYA (BEST FRIENDS)

Mya was originally sent to BAD RAP, but she was so fearful that the Oakland-based rescue group felt she would do better removed from an urban environment. If she couldn’t deal with the world, how could they find an adoptive home for her? After a few phone calls between BAD RAP, Best Friends, and Rebecca Huss, it was decided that Best Friends would be the best place for Mya. (In return Iggy was sent to BAD RAP). At Best Friends she showed the same behavior toward people as she had at BAD RAP, barking defensively (and nonstop) at staff, rushing the gate of her run when anyone approached, hiding in the back of her crate when someone came to take her out and scratching at the door to get back inside the crate when she was near it. She couldn’t even relieve herself when on a leash because having a person that close made her too nervous.

Slowly, the staff built connections with her. They moved her into a manager’s office during the day, where she spent her time with Cherry Garcia, one of the calmest dogs of the bunch. The two dogs hit it off-playing in the office when the manager stepped out, nestling into a single dog bed under the desk, and even sharing chew toys without any sort of conflict-and Cherry became a role model for Mya. Before long, Mya became one of the friendliest dogs around, stopping to say hello to anyone who visited the office. After Cherry was adopted, the staff moved Curly into the manager’s office, and now Mya is acting as a role model for him.

SUSSEX 2620: ELLEN (BEST FRIENDS)

Ellen was one of the few dogs who showed no signs of fear or aggression. She was friendly and happy and would greet people with a wiggly body and a waggy tail. She preferred not to live with other dogs, but otherwise she arrived with only one flaw-she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. It wasn’t that she barked too much or showed any tendency to bite, but she wouldn’t stop eating. She was noticeably overweight. The staff put her on a diet and got her moving with regular exercise and training sessions. She slimmed down and quickly learned all her basic commands, but that doesn’t mean she stopped eating. During her time at Best Friends she’s eaten rocks, plastic, and a stuffed toy that had to be surgically removed.