All language subtitles for The.Champions.2015.1080p.WEB.h264-OBiTS

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Come on, Littles.

Let's put your coat on.

It's cold out there.

Let's cover up your little ears.

OK, baby, let's go.

To me, she is Little.

That's the nickname
that I call her.

Come on, Little.

There you go, baby.

Off we go.

I love it.

I would never change it.

Never.

Just the word little connotes
something that's not scary.

It connotes a puppy, or a baby,
or, you know, a tiny lap dog.

So for Little, I think it has
demystified some of the pit

bull mystique of the
tenacious dog that latches on

to something and never lets go.

Stay, Littles.

Her body has scars all over it.

Most people don't see
that though, especially

if she has on one of her coats.

They just think she's
an old little dog.

And, for a lot of people, that's
as far as I want to take it.

You know, there are a lot of
people that I wouldn't tell

about her history because
they might see her

and they would have no idea.

Sometimes I just
don't want her to have

that negative attention.

I don't know how she survived or
why she survived, but she did.

NFL, sack Vick.

NFL, sack Vick.

NFL, sack Vick.

NFL star Michael Vick

has agreed to plead
guilty to federal dog

fighter charges and a
deal that could spell

the end of his NFL career.

I take full responsibility
for my actions.

Dog fighting is a terrible
thing and I didn't reject it.

MALE REPORTER
Investigators

say some of the losing
dogs died in the pit,

or were later put to
death by drowning,

hanging, or electrocution.

In several searches
of Vick's property,

authorities have recovered
more than 50 pit bulls.

They've also discovered
the graves of 7 pit bulls.

Officers found treadmills,

whips, chains,
injectable drugs, one

of the biggest and most
elaborate dog fighting

compounds they've ever seen.

MALE REPORTER
PETA says

there's no choice
but to destroy 53

of the 66 dogs taken from
Michael Vick's home, now

in federal custody.

These dogs are deadly
machines to other animals.

They've been programmed to kill.

They can't even be housed in
the same kennel at the shelter.

We have absolutely no doubt that
the most humane option for them

is to be released
from the world that

treated them as if they
were garbage from the moment

they were born.

So why is
animal law important?

Normally, it's a death
sentence if a dog is seized

from dog fighting property.

This case was different because,
for years, animal rescue

and advocacy
organizations had been

telling governmental authorities
these dogs don't have to die.

One of the things that we
have to deal with as lawyers

and lawyers to be is that
we know that, under the law,

animals are considered
personal property.

Most of the time,
people don't even

hear about dog fighting cases.

Because of the status of
one defendant in particular,

the general public started
asking the government

why do you have to
kill these dogs.

The judge in this case
said that he had gotten

3,000 emails about this case.

His administrative assistant
was taking 200 calls a day.

The title I was
given by the court

was guardian backslash
special master.

The federal courts
have the ability

to appoint a special
master to make

recommendations to the court.

I thought it was a great idea
to put guardian in the title,

because we often think
of guardians as guardians

for children, or guardians for
people who don't have capacity

to make decisions on their own.

No matter what decisions I made,
I knew there'd be criticism.

If all the dogs could
be saved, there'd be

people saying I shouldn't have.

If I had to recommend
euthanizations of any dogs,

I know that I would have gotten
criticism for that as well.

Two dogs exhibited behavior
or we had known history that

was of public safety concern.

The first dog, Merrill, had
shown reactivity to people.

The second dog, Lucas, had
a known history of being

a grand champion fighter.

The decision with
Merrill and Lucas

was whether they would
either be euthanized

or whether they'd be
at sanctuary for life.

There was a substantial number
of dogs ready for a foster care

environment.

Then there were dogs that
would not walk through doors

because they would pancake.

They'd essentially
put themselves as

low to the ground as possible.

They may have some fear
issues, but certainly

were dogs that weren't
ready to necessarily go out

into the wide world right away.

The dogs that were
dog reactive I knew

might be more likely to be in an
sanctuary environment for life.

We didn't know whether I would
have to make a recommendation

to euthanize dogs
because we did not

know whether rescue
organizations would step

up and offer to take the dogs.

For some rescue
organizations, the goal

is to bring a dog in, provide
the dog the necessary support

and training, and get the dog
out to an appropriate placement

so they can bring
another dog in.

BAD RAP
is in the Oakland hills.

It's a small rescue facility.

And we have a half acre
dedicated to the dogs.

This has become a halfway
house where the dogs can come

and decompress.

Some of them come
from cruelty cases,

for example, dog fighting cases.

It's a peaceful place,
quiet, sunlight.

It offers them the
opportunity to finally rest.

Many of them have never
had the opportunity

to enjoy being a dog.

Our hope was to help people
fall in love with the dogs

that we were falling
in love with.

The dogs that we were
falling in love with

had big, fat heads and big,
huge smiles and short hair.

And many people
call them pit bulls.

They have different
looks, different sizes.

The one thing they
have in common

is there is a lot of
stigma attached to them.

But those of us that love
them find them to be quite

wonderful as family companions.

Good.

Down.

Good.

Good, girl.

The Vick case came
out in the news.

And the first thing that
crossed my mind was they're

going to kill all the dogs.

And we thought, my God,
we can't let this happen.

Come on, baby girl.

BAD
RAP and the ASPCA

had done their
evaluations of the dogs.

Come on, let's go.

Come on.

There were 13 dogs

that needed to be
transported from Virginia

to the west coast.

Dogs always been treated as
evidence in these situations,

but they're live evidence.

You know, they
can't be warehoused.

We researched a few plans about
how we might get the dogs back.

And we settled on renting an RV.

Nicole and Steve
put that cross country RV

on their credit card
instead of our credit card,

because it would've
maxed us out.

At the time, yeah,
we were down there.

Going to pick up some doggies.

But we
knew we had to do it.

This case was so important.

It just had to be done.

We
didn't know these dogs.

We didn't know how
they would react

to being crated in the RV, how
they would react to each other.

We didn't know any of that.

I mean, the whole thing
was kind of an unknown.

There were two routes from
Virginia to the west coast.

We ended up opting for
the more southern route,

so we could avoid
places that had laws

against pit bull type dogs.

We certainly didn't want to
get stopped and questioned.

At a rest stop in Arkansas,
there was a gentleman who was

doing landscaping maintenance.

I'd seen him watching us.

And he came over and he
said you really need to get

out of here with the dogs.

10 miles down the road,
they'll take 'em from you.

So, apparently, we were
close to somewhere that

had breed specific legislation.

And pit bull type
dogs, apparently,

were restricted in some
way or completely illegal.

So we finished what we were
doing and got back on the road.

One of our
travellers loves the sun.

We were
thrilled, but we were exhausted.

We were ready to be home.

Tim and Donna had
prepared their house

and made room for
all the crates.

Each dog got out, got
a quick walk, and then

into their living room
to await the next step.

It's just a crazy
feeling, to think,

my God, what are we doing.

We have Vick's dogs
in our living room

and they're evidence in a
federal dog fighting case.

And I can't even tell my
neighbors what's going on.

I really had no intention of
getting into pit bull rescue.

It was not in my life plan.

I'm an artist, you know.

I want to make
beauty in the world.

And 15 years ago, this dog
came crashing into our world.

I met her at the Berkeley
Animal Care Services,

and she was going
to be euthanized

because they were very full.

And I took one look
at her and I felt

uneasy, because I
didn't understand

this pit bull mythology.

She wagged the tip of
her tail very slowly

and gave me this sweet
submissive gesture.

And I just felt sorry for her.

And so I said we'll
try to get her a home.

How hard can it be, right?

She's beautiful, she's young.

There's gotta be some
sucker out there.

Trying to find her a
home was really a trick.

What we ended up
doing was hearing

every myth and
misconception that people

held about the breed.

And I started to get angry.

I thought, you know what,
this is a lovely animal

and you're telling me
terrible things about her.

And, you know, it's not true.

As time went on, we recognized
there was a huge need

for helping people overcome
the misconceptions that

were condemning dogs
like her to death.

I fell in love with her.

She asked me to step
outside of myself

and to be more compassionate.

I'm going to tear up because I
hate that I was never... that I

was... there was a
point in my life

when I wasn't compassionate
towards these animals.

And she asked me to be
honest with who she was.

And so she changed me.

That's a good girl.

OK.

After about six months,
we said that's it.

We're going to keep this one.

A, because we can't
find her a home.

And, B, we have fallen in
love with this creature

and she has... she
has changed her life.

And we said, OK,
lead the way, Sally.

You can lead the way.

She completely
changed my career path

by being the inspiration
for my first carving.

When people typically
think of a carousel animal,

they think of a horse.

Sally's built like a horse.

She's just this
gorgeous little beast.

BAD RAP is my seven
day a week job,

and then the carving is
whenever I can fit it in.

It's easy to forget about
all the problems and all

the crap going on
in the world if I'm

tooling away at a dog head.

It all goes away.

That these drugs from Michael
Vick's bad news kennels

could be rescued and
become some families

devoted pet represents
a dramatic change

in dog fighting cases.

It's the first time

federal authorities have
allowed a full scale

rescue effort of fighting dogs.

Normally, these dogs
are put to death.

Johnny seems like
a lover, not a fighter.

He's super cute, so I'm sure,
with being on the program

and everything tonight,
your phone's going

to be ringing off the hook.

Johnny was
one of the more well-adjusted

dogs coming out of the case.

He was kind of naughty.

He was full of himself.

He had caveman manners.

I mean, he had no manners.

He was a little
bit of a handful.

We had to look at
the foster homes

that were available to see what
we thought they could handle.

And somehow, it
all came together.

Some really great people
raised their hands.

Where are we going, Johnny?

I met Johnny one day after
I got here from a road trip

from Virginia.

We gonna go to the park?

I had an opening
in the house here.

Because we only
foster one at a time.

What I liked about Chris is
he has a real sense of humor.

And I thought, well,
this little Johnny dog

can be a little bit naughty.

And I bet, Chris, you're
going to enjoy that

and you're going to
have fun with that.

It's not going to frustrate you.

Oh, that's a good boy.

Give me a kiss, one more kiss.

Yes, you're a good boy.

I was asked a couple months
prior to hold the spot.

I wasn't told why, but I
was just to hold a spot.

And then about a week
out is when I found out

that these dogs were
coming here and that spot

was being held for one of them.

So I had no idea what
was coming our way.

Was I going to get a
scarred up old dog?

Or was I going to
get a dog that looked

like somebody from the World
of Wrestling Association

that you see on TV?

You have pictures in
your mind and you're

thinking I'm going to get
Lou-Ferrigno-looking dog here.

And, hm.

You met Johnny and
he's this little squirt

that looks like a cow.

And you're like really?

I mean, completely the opposite
of what you would think.

Here you go, buddy.

He's just so cute, in
a funky little way.

I mean, he's a funky little dog.

He really is.

Can you sit?

Thank you, good boy.

Every foster takes a lot of time
and every foster's a challenge.

We had no plans on keeping him.

We were just going
to give him the best

possible skills we could
to help him along his way.

He was a bit scrambled.

We don't know what
he experienced,

but I did know for a fact how
much stress he was suffering.

You could see it.

It was obvious.

Running water, of course,
sent him scrambling.

I have no idea, but
maybe he had never

encountered running water.

Pots and pans, the
garbage truck, stairs,

he had his little demons.

The first day Johnny
and I took a walk,

he didn't know whether to go
left, right, forward, backward.

He just tied me up in the leash.

I've been attached to a
lot of fosters before,

but I let 'em go, because
there was always the next one

that needed a foster home.

It's pretty hard to give
all of this of yourself

to a little animal
and hand him off.

I mean it's pretty tough.

It was my time to keep
one, and it was Johnny.

And he was going to stay.

Good boy.

Some of
these dogs were not

ready to go into a foster
home based environment.

So the day I received the
Best Friends application

was a great day, because I
knew I was probably going

to be able to make a
recommendation that

would save all or almost
all of these dogs.

There's very few organizations
in the country that have been

established as long
as Best Friends

Animal Society, that have the
physical capacity that Best

Friends Animal Society has,
the support from the public,

from an economic standpoint,
the Best Friends Animal

Society has, and the
expertise to take

on dogs with special needs.

But even Best Friends
had to really put

forward a significant
amount of effort

to take on 22 dogs at once.

For any organization,
bringing on that many dogs

is a big commitment.

The traditional historic
relationship to dogs and fight

busts was simply to regard them
as damaged goods to kill them.

This is something
that we had to do.

What's up, little mail man.

It was
the right thing to do.

When you look at it
from the point of view

of the needs of the animals,
we were the ones who

could care for these animals.

We'd been advocating
for their survival.

We'd been advocating for
them to be given a chance.

If we are advocates for their
lives and advocates for them

to be given a chance and to
be related to as individuals,

how could we not step forward
and give them that chance if we

were the only ones who could?

Come on, handsome.

Come on, handsome man.

This is the
type of dog Best Friends

Animal Society takes
on all the time.

They really do take
on the hardest cases.

Based
on the assessments,

Best Friends took the 22 dogs
that had the most challenges.

We ended up taking the dogs
that needed us the most.

When the dogs first arrived,
it was a little chaotic.

Probably half of them
were just very shut down,

very nervous about everything.

They were unsure about us.

Some of the dogs were
almost the opposite.

They were excited, and nervous,
and maybe a little anxious.

We were seeing who was
reactive towards other dogs

through the fences.

The best that we
could hope for was

that we could show the general
public that you don't have

to be afraid of the dogs
just because of the situation

that they came from.

Best
Friends is a national animal

welfare organization.

No kill has always
been our mission

and are call, to
end shelter killing.

So a sanctuary, as we see it,
is intended for animals that

are not immediately available
or ready for adoption,

so that might need some
help or rehabilitation.

The animals that come to
Best Friends, if needed,

can stay here and have a quality
life for their entire lives.

But, really, our intention
is to find them good homes.

We started the
sanctuary in 1984.

There were about 20 founders.

We were looking for a way
of life that was meaningful.

And kindness to animals
was a fundamental component

of where we were coming from.

We had been doing animal
rescue over the years.

And it was always our
dream to have a sanctuary.

So I always had my
eye for somewhere

that we might be able to
do what we wanted to do.

I was traveling
through this area,

driving up the canyon here.

I was absolutely blown away.

It's one of these
locations where

you kind of have the sense of
the creation of the planet.

The place has that level
of primalness to it.

It's so monumental.

The landscape is so spectacular,
that it just puts you

in perspective on who
and what we are, how

integrated we are with it all,
but how infinitesimally small

we are.

When we started, it
was just a few of us

out here shoveling
sand, literally.

I think we always
had this idea that we

were going to change the world.

We certainly felt the
world needed changing.

Whether or not we were going to
change it or not, I don't know.

We don't
know what each of the dogs

went through at Michael
Vick's compound.

When Cherry first arrived,
he was really scared.

If you tried to
put him on a leash,

he would pancake,
which is basically

just get as low as possible.

You could interpret
it a couple of ways.

He's being somewhat submissive,
trying to tell you, hey,

I'm not a threat to you,
trying to protect himself,

trying to make himself really
small, so that, you know,

maybe you won't
notice him as much.

Come on, Cherry.

It was kind of heartbreaking
because he just

seemed so scared of everything.

Working with shy dogs
can take a lot of time.

You really have to
figure out how to help

them change their perceptions.

They're afraid.

Their emotional response to
seeing a new person is fear.

It's OK, buddy, come here.

I would sit with him
quietly, just for him

to realize it's OK, we're just
going to be in the same room

together.

Because that allows
them to start getting

to know that people are safe.

You're not going
to do scary things.

There was a day that we were
sitting in the room together.

Come on, Cherry.

And he finally made the
decision that it was OK.

He was going to come
over and sit next to me,

and it was OK for me to pet him.

That's huge when you're
working with a dog like Cherry.

He was able to make the
decision on his own.

And then he decided it was
OK to let me touch him,

and that maybe it was
actually even kind of nice.

Hi.

It was a big moment for him,
and a big moment for me.

Those are the moments that
it's like, oh, my gosh,

I just want to jump
up and down for joy,

but, of course, that
would scare him,

so I just had to be excited
inside that he was actually

finally coming up to me.

Come on, Cherry.

Come on.

Once we got Cherry to the
point where he was asking

for a little bit of
attention and handling,

our job was to help him
go to that next step.

Come on, Cherry.

And start taking him
out of that space

that was comfortable for him.

You can do it.

Good boy.

But we knew that it was going
to have to be in baby steps.

Come on, Cherry, you can do it.

Yay.

Yay, good job.

Just because they get
comfortable there,

they don't know that
this new thing is safe.

They don't know that
the trail is safe.

They don't know
what a car is maybe.

So we just kind of have to
start from where he was at

and just hope.

Our hope was that he
could really come out

of his shell, at least
enough to function

in a regular home environment.

You're doing good, Cherry.

We
knew that we would

essentially be
responsible for these dogs

for the rest of their lives.

But at the same time,
we wanted to animals

to be given a second
chance when coming

from a fighting background.

And the only way to do
that is to lead by example.

We weren't really sure how long
we would be taking care of some

of these guys or
how long it would

take to get them into homes.

Good girl.

Personally, I always try to
look at the positive aspects

of things.

But there is that
lingering kind of doubt

in the back of your head of,
you know, is this possible.

Come on.

Handsome Dan, I think,
was named because he

was just so handsome.

He's definitely got
that look to him.

He's kind of like that Brad
Pitt of dogs, you know?

It doesn't matter even if
he's having a bad hair day,

he's still just gorgeous.

He definitely fits the
profile that a lot of people

would imagine if they
were imagining a pit

bull from a dog fighting ring.

His behavior,
though, is completely

opposite for the most part.

Come say hi.

Come say hi.

Come here, bro.

That poor kid probably
had zero interactions that

were positive with any humans.

He would put himself
into the corner

and literally push his
face into the corner

so he was trying to disappear.

What are we doing, Handsome?

There's that old school
misconception of the dog

will do what I tell him to
do because they're a dog

and I'm a human.

Simply doesn't work that way.

They have to trust us and
we have to trust them.

Hey, buddy.

In the beginning, he
wouldn't come near me.

He wouldn't look at me,
he wouldn't do anything.

He was literally so
shy and shut down

that I felt bad even
going into his run.

My new worst case
scenario, he would

live at the sanctuary, which, in
my opinion, is not a bad thing.

He really liked it here.

Good boy, Handsome.

Look at you.

But, obviously, best
case scenario, everybody

goes into a great home and
has the love and attention

that they truly deserve.

Hi, Cherry.

Are we going to go for a ride?

Hi.

You do kind of have to
take a leap of faith

when working with
dogs like Cherry.

Because you don't really know
how far you can help them get.

And you do have to pay
really close attention

or you're going to miss
those very subtle moments

when they've made progress.

Good job.

Most people look for
these big moments

where, wow, that
was a breakthrough.

And you have to look
for those little, wow,

he took a couple of extra
steps with me today.

That's amazing.

As we were getting to know
the Michael Vick dogs,

we were noticing that
a lot of the dogs

seemed really interested
in the other dogs.

And we find that a
lot of with shy dogs.

They gravitate to other dogs.

They don't really
gravitate to people.

They don't know how to have
a relationship with us yet.

With Cherry, he actually
seemed very interested

in meeting other dogs.

We decided to introduce him
to another one of the Vick

dogs, Willy, who seemed like
he was interested in meeting

other dogs.

Oh, there's a tail wag.

There's a tail wag.

When we went to introduce them,
Cherry wanted to sniff his ear.

Good boy, Cherry.

Good boy.

That's OK, I got 'em.

I got 'em.

I got 'em.

I got 'em, don't worry.

Luckily,
no one was injured

and we had to
rethink who we were

going to introduce Cherry too.

I think that's probably
enough for the day.

Cherry didn't seem like he
wanted to get in a fight

or lunge back at Willy, so we
still pretty good that we could

introduce him to other dogs.

And it gave us more
information about Willy.

One of the other
dogs that we thought

might like the company of
other dogs was Handsome Dan,

so we decided to
introduce him to Cherry

and see what happened.

What do you think
about that dog?

And they almost immediately
started playing.

Good boy, Cherry.

Good boy.

And really acting

like a normal dog, which
was pretty incredible

because both were fearful.

Look at you.

He loved dogs.

He was very social.

Once we discovered
that about him,

it helped us to give
him more experiences

and give him a better
quality of life.

He was so afraid
of so many things,

and here is something
that he really enjoyed.

And it really
opened up his world.

Cherry, down.

It was
encouraging to see a little bit

of their potential.

OK, come on.

To watch them
actually relax and have fun.

Play easy, Cherry.

I'm sure some
people thought we were crazy,

but if a dog can get along
well with other dogs,

it really increases their
chances of going home.

I think everybody
has their favorite breed,

but I think so many people love
the fat heads because they're

just this wonderful blend
of the active working

dog and the couch potato,
the best of both worlds.

The
history of pit bulls

is the history of America.

They were brought over to the
United States from the UK,

along with people's
prized possessions.

They showed up frequently
in advertising.

The earliest
advertisements included

illustrations of pit bulls.

They showed up in Hollywood.

Canine society
is all agog and atwitter

this afternoon as Major
Curr of the Doggy Currs

entertains a tea.

The famous
example being "Little Rascals"

and "Our Gang."

In the early 1900s, they were
considered the family dog.

They were the dogs
that were very friendly

and would protect children and
kept around as family dogs.

The dogs that were looked at as
the bad dogs through the years

change.

In the mid 1900s, we
had the German Sheppard,

but the German
Sheppard went through

a complete
rehabilitation of image

when Rin-Tin-Tin
became a hero dog.

Then it became the Doberman.

In spite of
everything to dislodge him,

he'll hang on like grim death.

Then it
change to the Rottweiler.

Then it became the pit bull.

When pit bulls bite,
they bite, and they bite,

and they continue to bite.

Part
macho status symbol,

part bodyguard, part weapon.

When you walking
with a pit bull,

you know, you like a king.

Everybody going to
move out your way.

The media
jumped on this pit bull thing.

And, unfortunately, it's kind
of stuck, so they're looked

at as the best dog of the day.

Obviously, many people
embrace these dogs

as family companions.

There are also many
people who have exploited

them, hurt them, abused them.

As long as the dogs are
matched equal weight,

I can see why there was
anything cruel about it.

Will this dog fight one day?

Uh, probably will, yeah, mhm.

Some of
the dog fighters

want to say, oh, they love it.

Well, they've been
manipulated into this.

If you don't cut it
as a fighting dog,

then they kill you.

So it's a no win situation.

The last 150 years,
dog fighter have

been trying to undo
tens of thousands

of years of mother
nature saying,

no, these dogs are pack
animals that cooperate.

They'd rather do
something different.

They'd rather chase a Frisbee.

They'd rather go for
a walk or swim than do

what dog fighters made them do.

Dogs are so
special because they are

such great companions really.

They're always happy to see you
when you come home, no matter

how bad you feel or
how good you feel.

They are not very demanding in
terms of their companionship.

And, you know, life
just happens with dogs.

And they go wherever
they want and they

take you along with them.

I like the world of dogs.

It's an interesting place to be.

What do we see out there?

When Little Red first
came to Best Friends,

I decided I would sponsor her.

And when I sent in a check,
they sent me this picture.

Even though I had never
met her in person,

I just felt like
she needed somebody.

Little Red came with a
trainer from Best Friends.

And the trainer stayed
with us for three days.

And on the last day,
she left and drove away.

Little Red looked
down the road and I

think for the first time
understood that her trainer was

not coming back.

She spent over three
years in sanctuary

and she had people who loved
her and animals who provided

her with comfort and play.

And I think she
liked her life there.

I didn't know how she would
come to accept this as her home.

Little would be too nervous
to come inside the house.

She just couldn't make
the walk up the steps

and across the threshold.

I would have to carry
her into the house.

She didn't have a
problem going out.

She had a problem coming in.

I had just finished reading
a book about the Vick case.

And one of the things
that struck me was the way

that the out sheds were set up.

This building was
painted black and all

the windows were blacked out.

There was a set of
steps that led up,

and that's where the
fighting pit was.

So I think that
going up any steps

and crossing a strange threshold
was, for Little, a reminder

of being thrown into the pit.

Every day, I would
wonder what should I do.

And at the end of the
day, I would always

think to myself you
should do nothing

and just give her more time.

There you go, good girl.

I have a vet who
does acupuncture

and she comes to
your house to do it.

Oh, that feels good, doesn't it?

Little would sleep curled
up in a tight ball.

She would fold in on herself
as tight as she could get.

And you could just tell
she carried a lot of stress

in her body.

As the treatment went on,
Little started to unwind.

She was literally
unspooling herself.

She actually seemed to lengthen.

It was, I think, the first time
that she had ever really fully

been able to relax in my home.

There
was an application,

someone interested in Cherry.

And they wanted to know if
he was ready to be adopted.

So Paul and Melissa
came out for a visit.

They brought their dog, Madison.

Hi, Cherry.

You just
have to, at some point,

accept that this is where we're
at, and this is who you are,

and that's OK.

Hi, bud.

How're you doing?

And then,
from there, you really

have to look for that home
that is also going to accept

them for who they are.

When we first got
there, I ended up

going in first to meet Cherry.

Here you go, buddy.

He was completely
shut down, didn't

want anything to do with me.

He's such a handsome little guy.

I guess
the question for me was

are they going to be OK with
giving Cherry the time he

needs to trust them.

And are they going to be patient
enough to give him enough time

so that they can actually
see who he really is?

That's a good boy.

Al right, buddy.

We'll let you relax a little.

We sat down with
him we just pet him.

We just let him know
that we were safe,

we weren't going to hurt him.

And, I mean, that
lasted for three hours.

Paul
and Melissa were amazing.

They sat in there for
a really long time.

All he ever needed was a couch.

Just being quiet, letting him
get to know them a little bit.

We arranged for the transport
and it was really hard for me

to load him up, to say goodbye.

OK, we're going to come up here.

Cherry, you're being ridiculous.

Hey, hey.

I was super happy for
him to get into a home,

but it meant I
wasn't going to get

to spend time with him anymore.

Yup, you're OK.

That is the hard part
of my job is that I know

I can't take them all home.

And if I can't take
them, I don't want

to hold them back from that.

Good boy.

Nope, you have to stay in.

Oh, no.

Back you go, Cherry, no.

You know, it was
really bittersweet.

I just really had to say
goodbye and have a lot of faith

that Paul and Melissa were going
to give him an incredible life.

The
bill will be heard

in the house health community.

We have leadership,
both in the Senate

and in the speaker
on the house side.

So there's a very strong
interest in animal issues.

This would get
rid of the stigma

of dangerous on all fight bust
dogs in the state of Delaware.

That's right.

There are 13 states
that deem victims

of cruelty seized in fight
busts as dangerous or vicious.

That basically means that
they aren't adopted out.

I am a lawyer and a lobbyist.

What I do is draft
bills to get rid

of the stigma on
fight bust dogs,

or to get rid of
breed discrimination.

Breed discriminatory laws
and ordinances really started

taking hold in the '80s.

Across the
country, 50 communities in 14

states have attempted
to ban pit bulls

or enact vicious dog laws.

Since
1982, at least a dozen people,

including seven children,
have been killed by pit bulls.

In the 250 some odd fatal
dog attacks from 2000 to 2009,

breed could only be determined
in 17% of the cases.

Most of the dogs were isolated.

They were abused or neglected.

Some were starving.

A lot is in the
control of the owner.

Breed discrimination actually
is panic policy making.

Some officials will decide
that all the dogs of this breed

are evil and they need
to be exterminated.

And so they will round
them up and kill them.

What Denver
calls the city animal shelter

some pet lovers
called death row.

Denver first banned
pit bulls in 1989,

making Denver, along with
Cincinnati and Miami,

one of three major cities
to prohibit the breed.

There are some bad
dogs of any breed,

but there are a lot of
wonderful dogs of every breed

that can be wonderful pets.

There's so much
breed discrimination

in the United States right now.

And in America, every
responsible citizen

should be allowed
to own and love

any breed of dog they choose.

It's that simple.

Every kid grows up
dreaming of playing

in professional baseball.

Never thought in a million
years half the stuff

that I've accomplished
that I would ever do,

but I've thrown a no
hitter and a perfect game.

The
18th perfect game

in major league
history, 27 batters,

no hits, no walks, no errors.

It's kind of a
joke between a lot of baseball

wives that people often
think our life is rainbows

and butterflies every day,
and my biggest worry is where

I'm going to get my nails done.

And I'm not going to deny
that we've had perks,

but he's gone for
162 games a season.

And then you add
spring training to it.

It's very lonely and very hard.

We have three Vizslas
and one pit bull.

And Slater's very laid back.

Everyone says he's the
laziest dog they've ever seen.

You'll usually find him out
in the sun lounging around.

For the stereotype
that pit bull dogs get,

he's completely the opposite.

So he's an awesome dog
and an awesome family dog.

A played for Chicago
White Sox for 11 years,

and then I signed with
the Miami Marlins.

- I
- was aware that Miami

had breed discriminatory laws.

It wasn't an option to
do anything but find

a place that we could all go.

We were able to live, luckily,
outside of Miami Dade.

It was about a 40
minute commute.

We
found a town that

allowed Slater to be there,
then it was an easy decision.

We went into the off
season, obviously,

thinking that we were going
to be with Miami again

the following year.

Got a
call that I got traded.

And I'm like where
are you trading me to

and he said Toronto.

Find the ball.

Fetch it up.

At first, our heads
were spinning,

thinking a different
country, what just happened.

We thought we were
going to be in Miami.

We had bought a house.

Where's the ball?

Get the ball.

It started resonating with
me that Toronto has a ban.

Slater.

And it's actually
the entire province of Ontario

that has the ban, so
there was no easy solution

or short commute.

We had several friends that
offered to keep Slater for us

during the season.

But when we adopted Slater,
we made a commitment.

He was a part of our family.

And you just don't leave a
part of your family behind.

We just had to
sit down and decide

what we were going to do.

And the ultimate
decision was for them

to stay at home with Slater.

We try to go not
more than two weeks,

whether they come up
here to Toronto or her

and the kids fly to
a city on the road

wherever we're going to be at.

I have a family.

I have kids, I have a wife.

I have dogs at home.

That's who I am.

And when I come here and
sit in the apartment,

just chilling out by myself,
it gets tougher every day.

What are you guys doing today?

Today, we're
going to go roller skating.

You are?

That sounds like a lot of fun.

It really
bothers Mark a lot.

There's a lot of
times that he'll call

and we're just
eating dinner in he's

sad that he's there by himself.

We faced a lot of criticism
that we decided to speak out

and say that we were not
going to get rid of Slater.

We weren't going to leave him.

We were going to stay apart.

Many people thought
that I'm choosing my dog

over what's best for
my children and them

being with their father.

But we truly believe
that we're teaching

our children compassion and that
animals are not a convenience.

When you adopt an animal,
it's for its entire life.

It's so hard when you
look at your dog every day

and see how sweet they are
and you see how great they are

with your children and everybody
that comes in our house,

and you think someone is
telling me no because they

think that this dog
is a dangerous dog

and they've never met him.

That is nothing but
ignorance and discrimination.

It's nothing short of that.

Suspended NFL star

Michael Vick is out of prison.

The former quarterback
to the Atlanta Falcons

was let out of Leavenworth
before dawn Wednesday to begin

home confinement in Virginia.

Commissioner Roger Goodell

suspended Vick indefinitely
back in August of 2007,

but he said he would review
Vick's status once the prison

sentence was complete.

You're listening
to Richard Hunter.

We're talking about
the Michael Vick case.

Michael Vick

has been conditionally
reinstated by NFL

Commissioner Roger Goodell.

I don't like being lied
to, like anybody else,

but we have to go forward.

We have to move forward.

The former
Atlanta Falcons quarterback

can immediately take part
in preseason practices,

workouts, and
meetings, if he can

find a team that will sign him.

What I like best about my
work is talking to people.

I like communicating
with them and I

like being able to share my
perspective and information

that I've gathered.

I covered the Michael Vick
story on my radio show

for the better
part of two years.

It was amazing how much people
did not know about this case.

The media is partially
to blame for that.

Anybody who would be involved
in this type of thing

is deplorable.

Anybody who would be involved
in this type of thing

is a liability to our society.

Did they talk about
the dog fighting?

Sure.

Do they talk about
his football career?

Yes.

But did they talk about the USDA
report outlined by eyewitness

accounts when Michael Vick
took his children's dogs away

from them, and threw them
into the pit to kill them,

and laughed as it happened?

No.

Most people don't know
he executed his family's

pets for his own amusement.

With the number of dogs
involved, with whole facilities

built for it, and then
you put on top of it

that it is one of
the most well-known

professional athletes
in the country,

after reading the
entire USDA report,

I couldn't believe Michael Vick
ever had time to play football.

I can vividly remember show
after show, day after day,

covering the horrific
facts of this story.

I don't think I had ever had
a lower of opinion of humanity

than I did by that point.

Micheal Vick

has landed with the Eagles.

Vick's agent, Joel Siegel,
confirmed on Thursday

that a deal has been made.

I'm excited about
the opportunity.

Our country is a country
of second chances

and I paid my debt to society.

As
I covered the story,

I began to wonder what
had happened to the dogs.

I had Michelle Besmehn, from
Best Friends, on my radio show

to give an update on
how the dogs were doing.

And at the end of the
interview, off the air,

I said I would like
to be considered,

if any of these dogs ever do
come available for adoption.

Come on, Mel.

- A
- number of months

later, they contacted me.

And they said we think we have
the first few dogs potentially

available for adoption.

When I went to Best Friends
sanctuary to get Mel,

I was not prepared for how
particularly healing that was

going to be for me as a person.

The first thing
I was struck with

was I didn't even have
to say Michael Vick.

I didn't even have to
talk about that guy

because nobody there
cares about him.

Good job, Mel.

Put your silhouette over there.

When I first
minute Mel, he trembled.

It wasn't until we took
our first car ride later

on that afternoon that Mel
really kind of came out

of his shell.

Mel loves car rides.

If you're going to
say it, you better

spell it unless you are
intending to get in the car

and ride right then.

He seems to
understand that there

is something magical about being
in the car where he feels safe.

There's a barrier, even if
it's just glass, in between him

and whatever's on the
other side of the car door.

The first weeks and months
that Mel was in our home

were big revelations.

Any new situation
he's in, it's almost

like you can see the wheels
turning in his mind, you know.

Am I safe?

Is this OK?

I've never heard Mel bark.

The only way that I
know Mel can speak

is sometimes, when he's
sleeping next to me,

he will dream and make
some noises in his sleep.

That's the only time
he's ever made a noise.

Otherwise, he's
completely silent.

Good boy, Mel.

I had always had it
in my mind that I

would like to have a
conversation with Michael Vick.

A couple of years ago,
I was living in Dallas.

And it came to my attention
that he was going to be making

a series of public appearances.

I had so much in my mind
that was not said by the rest

of the media that I work in.

I went to the location
where he was presented

a key to the city of Dallas.

I would like to personally
present to Micheal Vick

the key to the city
of Dallas, Texas.

I had been given
permission by the organizers

to be there as an invited
member of the media.

They said stand right here.

He's going to exit the stage.

He will walk by.

That is your opportunity to
ask him to speak with you.

Hey, Mike, Richard
Hunter, 1190 AM radio.

Back up.

Excuse me, back up, back up.

He saw the
newspaper article from the LA

Times that I was holding up, the
picture of Mel, the headline,

understanding that I was
one of the people that

had adopted one of his dogs.

He looked me in the eye.

And in that candid
moment, he was

completely unprepared
for the fact

that we would be
coming eye to eye.

Nothing there.

Not two questions, Mike?

Nothing, man.

How many times I'm
going to tell you.

I'm going to ask you more time.
Get the fuck out my face.

He continued
to walk right by me.

You said you were worried
about the dogs, Mike.

Now's your chance to talk.

A key
to the city of Dallas

says that we're trusting you
with the security of the city.

It's a symbolic honour.

I responded to the
city council that it

was going to cost a fortune
now to go around and have

all the locks
changed because one

of the members of
Dallas City Council

had given our house key
to a convicted felon.

The man who
confronted Michael Vick

after Vick got a key
to the city of Dallas

was given his own special case.

Richard Hunter was
honored over the weekend

with the East Lake Pet
Orphanage's John LaBella Award.

One fellow counsel
person, Angela Hunt,

spoke out publicly about it.

And much to her
credit, couple of weeks

later, surprised Mel with
his own figurative key

to the city of Dallas that
was a giant dog biscuit

baked into the shape of a key.

We've spent a lot of
time asking ourselves

over and over again what the
hell is wrong with people.

And tonight, you guys have
given us a chance to see

what's right about people.

I really appreciate
this, thank you.

Come on in, buddy.

Come on.

Come on, Mel.

Good boy.

Good boy.

Come on.

People say to me, well,
do you hate Michael Vick.

Is this just a vendetta?

No, because he doesn't
really understand

what I'm talking about.

That's the sadness of it.

Come on, Mel.

Let's go, buddy.

The people I'm really talking to
are everybody else around him,

the society that's around him.

Folks,
the NFL is a business.

And I can guarantee you
that if the public made

a big enough stake
with their dollars,

the outcome with
this thing would have

been a whole lot different.

The problem is
that there's still

a demand to consume the Michael
Vick product from the fan.

There's often times where I
say on this show, you know,

athletes should get
a second chance.

But, I guess, without
knowing whether he's

been rehabbed... well, I
mean, it kind of concerns me.

And I think because people
get so caught up in the sports

fandom, they think that somehow
he's entitled to go back

and reclaim that NFL program.

Vick is back

with footwear
manufacturer, Nike,

more than two years
after Nike cut

its ties to Vick due
to his involvement

with a dog fighting ring.

Vick has gone from
NFL superstar,

to disgraced outcast,
to one of the highest

paid players in the
league, worth $100 million.

As tough as it
is for me to talk about Vick,

it's something that's very
important for me to do.

I like to point out to anyone
that wants to say that it's

time for Michael Vick and
all of us to just move on,

that Mel hasn't
completely moved on yet.

Good job.

I wasn't there to protect Mel
when this happened to him,

but I'm here now.

And I have a platform
to talk about it.

And I'm going to continue
to talk about it for as

long as Michael Vick
and I are both sharing

space on the planet.

Good boy.

Hello.

Hi.

MARK STOUTZENBERGER
We

never thought twice
about taking a dog

from a fighting situation.

It was good to
finally meet you.

We had a lot of experience,
at the time, working with dogs

from tough backgrounds.

And the amount of
experience that we

had being around fearful dogs,
we really hadn't experienced

anything to that degree.

Handsome Dan was just so scared.

He didn't need
to trust us, and he was trying.

That was pretty amazing,
given how shutdown and fearful

he was.

I was definitely surprised
to see how quickly he

warmed up to Heather and Mark.

He's a really good dog.

It's just a
really gratifying feeling

to see him say, hey, you
know, these people are cool

and I want to be
part of your family.

We tend to sometimes
think that once

an animal gets
placed into a home,

that it's happily ever after.

In reality, it's just
another section of his life.

And there is going to
be a lot of hurdles.

I'm gonna miss you, man.

It is just the start
to another adventure.

When
Dan first arrived,

he had never been
in the home before.

That was a steep
learning curve for him.

He had to be carried downstairs.

He had to be carried
from room to room.

But that very quickly
progressed to feeling safe

in certain rooms of the home.

You know, a lot
of stress for him,

and our fearful dog will stay
fearful if never challenged.

So he did find the spaces
that he'd try to isolate

and we would kind of
close off those rooms

and just gently start to have
him integrate with the family.

In the house,

there was a lot of things
that he had to get used to.

He was afraid of regular
noises that you'd

never think why is he afraid
of a dishwasher running.

Stupid us.

He's afraid of it because
he's never heard it before.

So it's terrifying
to him to hear sounds

that he never heard.

I wasn't
even able to read in bed, which

was something I enjoyed doing.

I would place him up in
the bed and he would get...

get cozied in for the night.

But even the turning
of newspaper pages

would just terrify him.

There were times when I wondered
was pushing him going to do

more harm than good
and are we going

to have the strength and the
forethought to just say, OK,

we've pushed him far enough.

And here's where
he's going to be

and we'll just keep him
happy in that place.

Johnny's been
my dog going on seven years.

He's a stellar little dog.

He really it.

He doesn't have bad days.

Johnny, come.

Pit bulls are definitely
clowns in little dog suits.

Are you ready?

Go get it.

Go bring that Kong.

Go on.

Go find your Kong.

They have a zest for life.

They enjoy fun and antics.

They are very animated dogs.

Good boy.

Once you can get the cloud
of stress off of them,

they start to show
you who they are.

Good boy.

Sit up.

OK.

And once you find out who this
dog is, what their personality

traits are, who they are, you
can kind of have fun with them.

Johnny has probably
developed over

30 tricks throughout the years
we've been working together.

Hi-ho.

Good boy.

He knows
everything from sit, roll over.

Right turn.

Johnny, left turn.

He can turn left.

He can turn right.

Sweet.

Good boy.

If Johnny
read and wrote English,

his head would be triple
the size of what it is now.

Who is this, Donna?

This is Johnny Justice.

Johnny Justice, I
have such a crush on.

He's been on
cover books and magazines.

Gund made a copy
of Johnny that you

can actually buy in the stores.

I still find it humbling.

I mean, we're just
regular folks with a dog

and crazy little background.

He's really a gentle little
dog that is the happiest

in life when he's with people.

OK, mister, come on.

Come on.

Good work.

Good boy.

Come on, buddy.

Johnny is a therapy dog.

The Family House
is an organization

that works in conjunction
with the children's hospital.

And if you are
outside of the area

and your child needs
treatment, they

put the families up for free,
give them a place to stay.

So we go in there and just
kind of visit, have fun.

Oh, hey, guys, how are you?

Hi, good.
How are you?

Good.

Would you like to meet Johnny?

Yes.

We are nothing but
a giant distraction.

Therapy animals do many things.

But the governing thing is
they all must be very stable,

highly trained animals.

Some dogs are good with adults,
some dogs are good with kids.

When you work with dogs,
you go with their strengths

and you support 'em.

And Johnny's just this
little kid magnet.

He's just good with kids.

Everybody likes him, you know?

Hi.

We all know Johnny
came out of Virginia.

So people from the south, of
course, are always NASCAR fans.

Johnny, start your engine.

Start it up.

Rev the engine.

Give it gas.

Rev that engine.

That's kind of cool.

Stick 'em up.

Bang.

OK, good boy.

Hey, guys, how are you?

Kiss the doggy.

You want to meet Johnny?

If you've ever seen somebody
who isn't feeling well

and is in a strange place
away from their home,

and you come in with a little
dog and it brightens their day,

gets them to smile and giggle.

Right turn.

They ground you.

We're a team.

There is a camaraderie
between us.

It's a pretty special bond.

There it is.

Johnny brings a lot of
love and joy to our house.

OK, go to your house.

Go on.

He's my dog.

Can't get between
a boy and his dog.

Today, 9,000 animals are
dying in shelters every day.

That's about 3 and
1/2, 4 million a year.

PETA said that nice families
don't go into shelters

looking for pit bulls.

Our experience has
been that nice families

do go into shelters
looking for pit bulls.

We see them all the
time in our pet adoption

centers in Los Angeles.

Most pit bull type dogs that
you encounter in a shelter

have never had anything
to do with dog fighting

or a dog fighting ring.

So many pit bulls
and pit bulls mixes

are dying in disproportionate
numbers in shelters.

And it's really a tragedy.

It's unfortunate.

It's a big, sweet dog
and they cut his ears

to make him look tough.

Public perception of these
dogs is often negative.

And there's nothing
negative about these dogs.

You're a big mutt, aren't you?

Yes, you are.

One of our initiatives
is aimed at redeeming

the image of pit bulls.

In recent years, especially
subsequent to the work that's

been done my Best
Friends and others,

there's really a nationwide
groundswell in support

of pit bull type dogs.

So we're not alone on this.

Now, the work is really engaged
with shelters and rescue

organizations around
the country to help,

perhaps, change some of the
perceptions about these dogs.

We say forward, left
leg goes forward.

Forward.

When I first met a pit
bull, I said, oh, you know,

I've been told there's something
wrong with this animal.

Now see if you can get
a look from your dog.

Give them the look command
while we're moving.

And stop.

Good.

I didn't understand
what it was,

but there was a lot of baggage
and mythology attached.

And so I was skeptical.

What's going on
with this animal?

Why's everybody so afraid of it?

There are numerous myths
that abound regarding pit bull

terriers, that they're
not good with cats,

that they're bad children,
that they have more

pounds per square inch of bite
pressure than any other dog,

that they don't feel pain.

One is that their jaws lock.

Physiologically, they are no
different than any other breed

of dog.

In fact, American
pit bull terriers

test better than golden
retrievers and border

collies in some of the American
temperament testing studies.

Even animal welfare

people can fall for the myths.

If you have to euthanize
hundreds of pit bulls

in your shelter, it's easier to
believe that there's something

wrong with them and to go home
and sleep than to say, well,

maybe some of them
can be helped.

Because then you have to
change everything you do.

There are a
lot of shelters that don't

allow them to be adopted out.

They just kill any
dog they automatically

deem as a pit bull terrier,
which is inherently unfair.

You make
the victim the problem.

They come into somebody's
home, the people

don't do right by him.

The pit bull ends up
bearing the brunt of it,

ends up in the
shelter, and then,

oh, gosh, well, these
dogs are in the shelter.

They must be problematic.

It's ironic, but a specific
breed fills up the shelter more

than any other breed
and they're the ones

getting the least help.

Well, they're just dogs and
we just treat them as dogs.

We're going to be OK.

We
always thought it

was going to be a lifelong
journey for a charity.

But we also didn't think
he would come this far.

He really feels our
house is a safe place.

He loves to go out in the
backyard and sun himself.

Be loves to run around,
hop around, chase

Madison around the backyard.

He kind of enjoys just being a
normal dog back there, I guess.

When we first adopted
Walker, he was kid.

And he spent probably
the first three weeks

here soaking wet because Cherry
just cleaned him all the time.

He was just so happy to have
this little kitten in his life.

And it really, for whatever
reason, boosted his confidence.

It really brought him out
of his shell even more.

It's almost like
he adopted Walker.

He brought him in and kind
of showed him the ropes

a little bit, you know?

We had a baby 18 months ago.

Look.

Yay.

His name is Nova Lino.

Give that to Cherry.

Good boy.

Good job.

Cherry constantly licks him,
his face, his hands, his feet.

Pig.

And a cow.

That started from when
we first Novi home.

Look at the cow go.

Car says beep beep.

Beep, beep, beep.

It's just
been wonderful to watch

them just having a great
time playing with each other.

Just like any other dog, we
take precautions as parents

to ensure that everybody
is safe, not just the baby,

but the dogs too.

Babies like to grab
and pull, so we're

always right there to ensure
safety on all accounts.

Prior to Novi, we do not need
feed our dogs from the table

or give them table scraps.

This is where Novi, I think,
is a bad influence on the dogs,

and vice versa.

So you
think this is funny, huh?

Through Novi, the dogs

have learned that he
can be a good source

of handouts of free food.

And Novi also learned that,
hey, it's fun to see these guys.

He'll throw food down.

When he gets tired of something,
he likes to feed the dogs.

Are you all done?

When they hear
all done, they come running.

It's like a call for them
that, hey, here comes the food.

Let's get there.

And they come sprinting as
fast as they can so they have

first dibs on the good stuff.

Most of
time, Cherry is normal.

And that was really
all we wanted for him.

We wanted him to be comfortable
in this house, wanted him

to greet people at the door.

We wanted him to run
around the backyard.

The dogs are given
a second chance.

All of the dogs,
not just Cherry,

have taken this opportunity to
really show the world that why

shouldn't we have the chance.

We're no different
than any other dog.

And Cherry has really become
this heartbeat of our family.

He's just such an amazing soul.

He's just the easiest going
guy who just wants to be loved.

And he didn't want any
bad to come out of him.

It breaks my heart to think
that somebody would hurt

him because he's so innocent.

And he's such a great dog.

I just can't imagine
our family without him.

There's so many days
where you come home

from a long day at
work and he's there

greeting you with a big smile.

You just start thinking to
yourself what he went through

and he can put a
smile on his face.

And it's... you know, it
just makes... it makes

your bad day just melt away.

It's kind of hard
to even compare.

A duck, that's right.

Good job.

He has had a dramatic
impact on our lives.

It's just been
an amazing experience with him.

He lived in the toy cupboard
or on the nursery floor,

and no one thought...
after having him

in our home for as long
as we have, Dan's normal

is not the same normal as
it is for the average dog.

Dan is never a dog that's going
to be able to go on walks.

He's ways too fearful for that.

He's fearful of noises outside
of our fence, the leash itself.

But in the safety of our fence,
Dan has found his normal.

It's about the security that
having a barrier provides.

So Dan gets nervous when you
take it outside because imagine

if you spent the beginning
part of your life

having no security,
what that's going

to do to your state of mind.

It must be awful.

Want to get dressed?

Come here.

Oh.

Oh, yes.

And even the jackets.

A fearful dog, those jackets,
it makes them feel like they've

got something around them.

And it gives them more
confidence because of it.

People may think,
oh, that's silly,

you put clothes on your
dog, but it's like a baby

that needs to be swaddled.

They want that security.

How about this hat?

- That's fancy.
- Oh, yeah, that one.

Is Dan
going to help dress the baby?

No.

Aw.

Ask him if that's the write one.

Is that the right one?

Dan is
scared of lots of things.

But if Josephine
does those things,

he's not afraid of them.

It's kind of that
buffer that he needs.

Heather babies Dan quite a bit.

He's also got his very own
special what she calls the pope

mobile, which,
like, really, we're

going to buy this
weird contraption that

has three wheels.

It's basically like
a stroller for a dog.

But it allows us to
go places with Dan.

Once you get beyond the fact
that it looks a little silly,

he loves it, you know?

He can be in it and he's
in an enclosed environment,

so he's happy.

He can go for a walk
in the pope mobile.

The pope mobile.

It takes time, and
patience, and a lot of love.

And that's, I feel like,
what Dan's got here.

But he's given us so
much more back, that it's

been worth every second of it.

Come on, bud.

Yeah, there you go.

The peninsula is a little
place at a park near our house

that I've been working
on Dan for a few years.

It's a small wooded trail
with water on either side.

He'll walk out with me and
we'll sit there for few minutes

at the end and then walk back.

Everyone has a dog, or a cat,
or an animal in their lives

that they know will
be the one for them.

Dan is my one.

And the trust that
Dan has given me

is not something that
I would have ever

expected from a dog like Dan.

They have been so much more
forgiving of our species

than we could have
ever been of theirs.

It's amazing to see.

Not all of dogs

rescued from Michael Vick
are in adoptive homes.

Seven of the dogs are still
here at the sanctuary.

We're talking about
22 dogs from a very

specific, and particular,
and extraordinary situation.

But they are individuals
and they should

be treated as individuals.

Three of the dogs
are still too fearful

of new places and people
to go home at this point.

But that may change.

We're still working to help
them overcome those fears.

Some dogs of that

group are very dog aggressive.

They're in special care here.

And it's unlikely that they're
ever going to be adoptable.

Both Tug and
Willy don't like other dogs.

They can't really
interact with them.

Dogs really know the difference
between other dogs and people.

A dog can have a great
relationship with a person

and not enjoy the
company of other dogs.

Willy not only doesn't want
to interact with other dogs...

come here, sweetie...
but he tends

to be really selective about the
people he wants to be around.

He seems to do best
when we limit how

many people interact with him.

Good boy.

We knew that we

weren't going to be able to
totally transform all of them.

And they will have
good lives and they're

enriched by caregivers and by
animals here at the sanctuary.

You
want your ball?

Is that a yes?

Denzel has been through a
lot of trauma in his life.

And sometimes it's hard
for him to trust people.

But when he finally breaks
through that barrier of trust

and likes a person,
it's for life.

Oh, I love you, Denzel.

You're the best
dog in the world.

Sadly,
a couple of the dogs

had passed away.

Lucas was Michael
Vick's champion

and was ordered by the
court not to be adopted

because he had
street value because

of his championship lineage.

The thing about fighting
dogs is that the fighters

use their affection.

They're loyalty, their devotion
to people to get them to do

whatever they want them to do.

They're fighting
for that person.

They're fighting for
that relationship.

And that's what showed
through in Lucas,

this tremendous, loyalty,
love, affection, sweetness.

He was an unbelievably
sweet dog.

His scarred face just made it
all the more poignant and sad,

like an old boxer.

Merill was the one that we

actually saw something from.

She didn't bite anybody,
but she made the effort.

At least it showed us
that she had that in her

if she was put under any kind
of threatening situations.

Merill
was court ordered

to stay here for the
rest of her life,

so she'll be here forever.

She has an awesome life.

She's a joy to
come into every day

because she has the best smile.

And she's always happy.

And she's always
ready to love on you.

We actually
sometimes call her momma

Merrill because she
teaches other dogs

appropriate dog behavior.

She's just an absolute
love and a pleasure

to be around every day.

Come on, Denzel.

For the most part,
they were frightened.

They were unsocialized.

They needed help and
they needed training.

But they were so
responsive to the kindness,

and care, and
love, and affection

that they came out
of this as heroes.

Yeah, oh, I know.

I know.

I've had Little for
2 and 1/2 years now.

Little enjoys her
life very much.

She has a companion
in Jewels, another pit

bull that I adopted.

They love to play.

Little is shy.

And she's nervous about
people until she understands

that they won't hurt her.

Jewels thinks no one
will ever hurt her.

She is just a sunny, sunny dog.

And it's been really
good for Little.

It's helped Little to be more
unguarded with her affection.

Little has overcome
so many of her fears.

Come on, Littles.

Let's go, babies.

She was terrified to
walk through the door.

Now she does it effortlessly.

She knows that she's
not going somewhere

where she will be hurt.

It's a safe place.

The common kind of
parlance of people who talk

about fight dogs
is, well, you can

never really rehabilitate them.

Yeah, you're just shining.

You're just shining.

She did not have to
be rehabilitated.

She needed to recover.

Yeah, my sweet pea.

My little sweet pea.

The Michael Vick dogs

changed forever the
way people regard

dogs taken from fight rings.

Now, rather than it
being standard procedure

for these animals
simple to be killed,

these dogs really broke ground.

And, really, they are the
champions of this whole story.

Their legacy is that
animals are individuals.

Dogs are individuals.

These dogs should be treated as
individuals and given a chance.

It would have been nice
if it never happened,

but it did happen.

And these dogs have been
such tremendous ambassadors

for their breed.

We've been talking
with John Garcia.

He's an amazing dog trained from
Best Friends Animal Society.

A few years after
this case, there

was a large multi
state dog bust...

eight states, 29 crime scenes.

Unlike previous busts, because
of what happened in the Michael

Vick case, not all of
them, but some of them

were able to go out to
rescue organizations.

In April 2008, the Human
Society of the United States

changed their policies
on the treatment of dogs

on fighting property.

Now the Humane Society
of the United States

is a rescue partner of ours.

Sit.

Good girl.

They just delivered seven
dogs from a huge dog fighting

case, which was wonderful.

PETA, to this day, is
staying the course.

They still believe
all those dogs

should have been destroyed,
and all future ones

should be destroyed.

They've been programmed to
kill other animals, period.

They can't even be housed in
the same kennel at the shelter.

You know,
people want to say,

oh, these are fighting dogs.

And I want to say, no,
these are family dogs.

Just because
somebody else wanted

to do a despicable
thing with these animals

does not make them
a fighting dog.

And when you give them food and
water, shelter, basic training,

like any dog should have, then
there you've got a family dog.

Our adopters
don't call them the Vick dogs

anymore.

For Johnny, now, he's Cris' dog.

He's their family dog.

Johnny is just a funny,
lovable little guy.

He is what he was
meant to be when he was

born into the world as a pup.

They, I think, taught us even
more than we thought we knew.

They said, come on,
let's get on with life.

We can do this.

For a large percentage
of the dogs in this case,

they actually are more
than just family members.

They are therapy dogs.

They are agility dogs.

They're, essentially, doing more
than the average dog in society

does.

Working with charity
and the other Vick dogs

reminded me why I do
this kind of work.

Sometimes it is
really challenging,

sometimes it's overwhelming.

It wasn't easy.

I mean, we worked
around the clock.

Oh, are you giving me a grin?

What a good girl.

It could be stressful at times.

It can be heartbreaking at
times, but it's so worth it.

It matters.

It matters to that dog.

And it matters to other dogs.

I didn't realize
how big of an impact

it would be on so many
people and other animals.

When
we started the sanctuary,

our vision of things,
our aspiration,

our North Star was kindness,
kindness to animals,

kindness to each other.

There's an artificial
distance between ourselves

and the animals.

We pride ourselves
and give ourselves

a special place because we
make all of these things,

and we talk, and we write,
and all that sort of stuff.

But when you get to
know the animals,

you see the richness of their
lives, the depth of they're

feeling and their
intelligence, the grounding

that they provide
for us, the length

that they give us to nature.

It's not that they
are distant at all.

These are our brother
and sister creatures.

The lives of all of these
animals have intrinsic value.

They're not ours to
dispose of or to discard.

There is no small life
or insignificant life

that doesn't matter.

If Best friends
stands for anything,

it's a testament to
following that dream

and doing what you know to
be the right thing to do.

You know, you may
not change the world,

but you'll certainly
have a good time trying.

Micheal Vick
tried to make these dogs

mean, particularly Little Red.

And he was not successful.

She's never been a mean dog.

She's a dog who was traumatized.

There's nothing in the world
that she did to deserve

the cruel treatment she had.

I've seen the adjustments she's
made, and it's taken her time.

But she deserved that time.

Sometimes I see when she's
sleeping that she's dreaming.

And her dreams aren't
always good dreams.

There are times when I
can tell she's distressed.

And when that happens, I wake up
and bring her back to reality.

Just reassure her that
she's safe, that she

never has to be afraid again.

No one will ever, ever
hurt this dog ever again.

And I think she
believes that now.

I want her to have the
best life possible.

I want her days to be
filled with the things

that make her happy.

And I think that they are.

She loves her home.

She loves her life.

Let's go, Littles.

This is where she
was meant to be.

She knows that she's home.

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