Nearly all of the remaining pit bulls that were
seized from the home of suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick
have placement potential according to a motion filed
in US District Court.
The motion states that just one of the dogs
should be euthanized, citing that it has a history
of biting people. Extensive behavioral testing has
been carried out on all the dogs seized from Vick's
property in rural Surry County, Virginia. This
testing was carried out around the 5th of September
by a team of animal experts assembled by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The dogs were placed into five categories ranging from could be rehabilitated and eventually be adopted to euthanasia for dogs exhibiting intense aggression toward people or suffering from a significant medical condition.
The categories also include one for dogs that could potentially be placed in specialized training for law enforcement work, and Sanctuary I and Sanctuary II for dogs that either exhibit fear toward people and need to be socialized under supervision, to dogs that react mildly to intensely to stimulus and require more extensive help.
The dogs have been held in local
animal shelters since they were seized.
Dogs requiring sanctuary would not necessarily be on track for adoption, ASPCA spokesman Shonali Burke said, but placed somewhere to live out their lives humanely.
The motion does not say how many dogs were placed in each category other than to suggest that one, identified as No. 2621, is an immediate candidate for euthanasia because its aggression toward humans made a complete examination unsafe.
The motion also requests that the court appoint a guardian-special master to oversee the disposition and possible placement of the 48 remaining dogs.
This motion will now go before US District Judge Henry Hudson, who is handling the
dog-fighting
case against Vick. The dogs have been held in local
animal shelters since they were seized. Vick and three co-defendants pleaded guilty to federal
dog-fighting charges and are to be sentenced before the end of the year. They each face up to five years in prison.
