I Am Not A Machine

To be honest, we held our collective breath when news of Vick's indictment first came out. Dog fighting is so often spun as the ultimate blame the victim crime, and it's typical to see fight bust headlines followed by tabloid text describing pit bulls as out of control monsters. Yee-owch. Talk about adding insult to injury.

But so far, not so bad!... Geraldo Rivera and a few others excluded, the public outpouring of empathy for the tortured dogs from the Vick home has been a most unexpected surprise. Maybe we've gotten so used to warding off myths that we started to lose faith. But we nearly cried when the country screamed in shock at the indictment details, and - who would've guessed? - when Senator Byrd made history by pounding his fists on the Senate floor in defense of the victims. In defense of the pit bull victims.

Thank you, thank you, America.

Before the spell is broken, let's bring this one home: In case you run into someone who wants to tell you how vicious these dogs are, how they're only bred for uncontrolled violence, or how they're turned into 'fighting machines,' please point them to this girl.

Amy came from an Oakland dog fighter's yard, and she's seen it all.

Far from a machine ... She's a sentient being with a sensitive nature and a weakness for belly rubs. Like all dogs, she feels pain, and she prefers the creature comforts that all companion animals deserve. She has admirable leash manners and has even decided to have a few dogs friends. She happily co-exists with a cat in her adopted home, and, she loves burrowing herself in fluffy blankets. Imagine that.

Not all of the dogs from her yard made out so well...Some were too damaged from their ordeals to start news lives, and those that stayed steady had no where to go after the shelter hold was up. But we're happy that Amy was able to get a fresh start and tell their story.

Hardly a Machine.