Fit as Fido

Why Are We Still Talking About Michael Vick?

12.02.2009 // Fit As Fido // Dawn A. Marcus, M.D. // 2 Comments

This week, the LA Times released an article about Michael Vick meeting with kids and lamenting his ban from dog ownership. Reported quotes, like “Everything you read and everything you heard was true — except for the electrocution,” have spurred flurries of outraged comments on social networks. But I gotta ask — why are we still talking about Michael Vick? And especially why might we be interested in his feelings about dogs?

It seems the media hounds and captures every insignificant morsel that falls from the lips of notorious people with whom we’d never really want to have a conversation. Why don’t the media follow the saints of our society, capturing their good deeds and wisdom to serve as positive role models for us?

Here are some folks who DO positively impact our canine friends who ARE worthy of your attention:

- Hilary Swank, best known for her Academy Award-winning performance in Million Dollar Baby, is the ambassador for Iams Home 4 the Holidays program, aiming to place 1.5 million pets into loving homes by January 4, 2010. Think that number’s a bit outrageous, well last year this program succeeded in placing 1,202,701 pets in homes and to date they’re almost at 50,000 for this year!
- Allen Parton, a Gulf War veteran who returned home seriously disabled, re-learned how to live with the help of a service dog, Endal. Allen has devoted his life to assisting service men and promoting organizations that help place service dogs with people in need.
- Kenny Kramm and his wife Shelley faced raising a baby disabled from a brain hemorrhage caused by a medication error with grace and a positive attitude. They now have two beautiful daughters and Kenny used his struggles with getting medications that a baby might be willing to take into Center Pet Pharmacy that develops novel medication formulations for pets.

Need more inspiration, check out the Fit As Fido celebrity spotlights. And I bet if you check at your own animal shelter or through your own neighborhood you’ll find people doing work that deserves much more attention than the spoutings of Michael Vick!