BELOVED FORMER “VICK DOG” PASSES AWAY - “During her final two days, Ellen had a steady stream of visitors, all of them stopping over to say goodbye to this dog who was so easy to love.”
Ellen was a pit bull who was rescued several years ago from the infamous dog-fighting ring run by Michael Vick. Once she was removed from the sickening conditions on Vick’s property, Ellen turned out to be a good-natured dog who was beloved by many. Unfortunately, Ellen was euthanized last weekend due to a serious illness. Here’s more from the official website of the Best Friends Animal Society:
“She bonded with everyone she met,” Maddie says. That’s an even greater accomplishment than you might think, considering that most of the time she was meeting people from a distance.
Per court orders, the Vicktory dogs were not allowed to interact directly with Sanctuary visitors. Even though she couldn’t visit with them face to face, Ellen still left a lasting positive impression on those who came near her.
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When tour groups stopped by, a caregiver would often bring out Ellen on one side of the parking lot with visitors watching from the other side. She would smile, wag her tail, and flirt with them the whole time. “The impact that it had on our visitors, tours and guests was visible,” says caregiver Tom Williams. “You could see those people were touched.”
Although some critics thought that the rescued dogs were too traumatized to be rehabilitated, Ellen quickly proved the doubters wrong. I’ve said this before in a previous post — no matter how successful Vick is on the football field, he will always be overshadowed by the courage and beauty of these rescued dogs. Click here for more from the Best Friends Animal Society. Please share Ellen’s story.
