Michael Vick and what a few local boys didn't learn
When I woke up Saturday morning, sleeping in for the first time in weeks, I had no idea what I would see first-hand before the end of the weekend.
Writing as a journalist I can't insert my opinions or share my thoughts as I see things, so that's what I'm going to do here tonight.
When I went to bed Saturday night, after the Annual Bess Truman dinner that I had covered earlier, I knew I would be back at work before dawn but I didn't know the specifics.
At about 1 a.m. Sunday I pulled up to the home where Jamie Sifford lived and ran his "operation". Numerous law enforcement officials and the Humane Society Animal Rescue crew filled the yard and walked the road searching for more dogs.
I've seen footage of dog fights on HBO Undercover and some other shows, but I've never witnessed what happens afterwards.
As I walked up to one of the three Humane Society vans I came to a pair of small Pit Bulls chained to posts. My first reaction was to jump because they had startled me, but they weren't what I had expected.
When I think of dog fighting, what comes to mind are snarling beasts that remind me of The Hounds of Hell from the 80's horror flick The Lost Boys.
The first dog, a young red Pit Bull that scared me initially, slowly walked over towards me with his head tucked down to the ground. Reluctantly, I reached out to pet him and he stretched his neck and licked my hand. I guess I had gone out there with the idea that these dogs would treat people the way they have been trained to treat other animals.
As I was petting this young pup, we were standing not five feet from one of the guys soon to be charged in this fiasco.
Next, I was shown the barn where the fights had taken place. At first glance, it looked like any other barn. But, a single stall right between four horses told a much different story.
Lining the bottom of this stall where I imagine several dogs have met their end, was a mess of old carpet and a plastic poster. All stained with the blood and urine of the dogs scattered about the property.
Across the barn from that stall was a utility type room where a Pit Bull mother and five VERY young pups laid feeding.
All of this just made it so much more clear who the real monsters were here and it wasn't the dogs.
A clearing back in the woods about a half-mile from the house and barn is where the majority of the dogs were found.
Each hooked to about 10-feet of chain and many with bandaged wounds, they all looked so pitiful (as is clear from the photos) and were just as friendly and starved for attention as the first I came across.
Some of the dogs had fresh bandages, assumed to be treating wounds from Thursday night's fights. It's amazing that after the way these people treat the dogs, they also treat their wounds. I guess that's because there's no money to be made from dead dogs.
The careful attention given by the Humane Society workers and all of the law enforcement agencies should be commended. This group of individuals worked over night and through Sunday making sure everything was in order and taken care of.
I don't really know where I'm going with this, I suppose because this is the first minute I've had to sit and reflect on the whole incident.
I just felt like it was important to share not only my story, but my emotions.
I just finished writing the story that will post Monday and it relayed the events, but not the story as it was felt. Trying to tell a story like this without emotion simply won't do it justice.
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I am so impressed that Sheriff Carl Hefner invited the Humane Society down to Stoddard County to offer this course for his people! The horrifying news of the weekend just makes the course all the more relevant. I just wish some caring individual had notified the Sheriff that the fight was going to happen that night!
It was a hard deal to stomach just as it would have been for anyone. However, it's the once in a lifetime opportunity to be involved with exposing something like this that is why I love my job.
I'm curious to see who else is arrested in connection with this.
I know you're talking about abortion and that's a different subject than what I'm referring to when I say people. Children are the exception. However, we hear about abortion in the news every single day. We hear about murder every single day. Dog fighting is new and it's a fresh topic. That's why people are taking such an interest right now.
I do, however have names for almost all of the dogs, but I don't have time to post it right now. Sometime over the weekend I'll try to do that. The cute little white one that looks like Spuds McKenzie is named Bandit. That I know for sure, but I'll list them all later. I got a paper today that gives names and written descriptions of each dog.
They were apparently charged for each individual dog. Eighteen dog fighting charges for one person is a bunch.
I would be against putting humans in collars and dragging them in to a ring to fight, too. Ever seen The Running Man?
I also look at cage fighting and toughman competitions different from both of them. Once again, population control, but brutal enough that I don't think young children should watch it.
In reading this I feel like it sounds a little bit rude and that's not my intention at all.
What's your opinion on this?
As for Ali, he had to have known that one can only take so many whacks in the head before the number of healthy brain cells matches the number of fingers.