Frodo, the last remaining dog saved from Michael Vick's dogfighting operation in 2007, died this weekend, according to rescue org BAD RAP.

These dogs and their human advocates have an incredible story that will stick with me forever.

A second chance

Twelve years ago, 47 dogs were rescued from Michael Vick’s dogfighting operation and allowed to live. They've enriched the lives of countless humans and altered the course of animal welfare.

By Emily Giambalvo Sept. 18, 2019

KANAB, Utah — Not long before lunchtime, Mya’s wagging tail splashes as she waits for the tank to drain. The bowlegged black pit bull just finished a three-minute hydrotherapy session, guided by treats offered from a staffer reaching down into the apparatus. But while Mya walks slowly on the submerged treadmill, she notices Laura Rethoret’s car through the window. Once the tank empties, Mya scurries down the ramp as fast as she can with her weakened legs, which have splayed more as she’s aged.

“Good morning, beautiful!” says Rethoret, who embraces Mya with a towel. “I’m right here!”

Rethoret loads Mya and her runmate, Curly, into her car and drives to the quiet office where the dogs hang out a few times a week. These dogs are reminders that even now, 12 years later, survivors of former NFL quarterback Michael Vick’s dogfighting operation live on in pockets throughout the country, including here at Best Friends Animal Society’s 3,700-acre sanctuary.

Vick pleaded guilty in 2007 to running an illegal dogfighting ring in southeastern Virginia, a scandal that cast a spotlight on the problem of dogfighting rings around the nation. But for 47 dogs pulled from Bad Newz Kennels, there was another, less publicized development that helped change how dogs taken in large-scale dogfighting busts are treated. Rather than being euthanized, the Vick dogs were given a chance to live.

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Emily Giambalvo
Emily Giambalvo covers University of Maryland athletics for The Washington Post.

About this story

Photos of the dogs provided by The Washington Post, Best Friends Animal Society, BADRAP, Geoffrey Tischman, Ashley Clark and family photos. Design and development by Brandon Ferrill. Photo editing by Thomas Simonetti.