MICHAEL Vick is just beginning to fulfill his promise to fight animal abuse, but experts say that he already has had a powerful effect on the world of dogfighting, both positive and negative.
When agents raided his rural Virginia property in 2007 and discovered his Bad Newz Kennels, a largely invisible world was pulled into public view.
It was a world where someone in the know could get you one of a dozen trade publications, like "Scratch Back" magazine, which offered advice on feeding your fighter ("raw meat cut into strips three or four times a week") and whether to use steroids ("you can burn up a dog's liver and kidneys if you don't know what you're doing.")
It was a world where tens of thousands of self-described "dogmen" bred and raised dogs to maul each other in refereed matches conducted with strictly enforced rules.
In the "Sporting Dog Journal," the dominant trade magazine, you could find ads for Hellz Comin Kennels, and read results of dozens of dog matches throughout the country.
It was a world where an unwanted dog might be dispatched by attaching one terminal of a live battery cable to his lip and another to his hindquarter. One former dogfighter said electrocution was considered relatively humane, since "it stops the heart quicker" than hanging.
And it was a world where less well-organized dogfighters were proliferating in cities like Philadelphia, raising pit bulls in basement kennels and fighting their dogs in empty lots, garages and abandoned buildings.
John Goodwin, manager of animal-fighting issues for the Humane Society of the United States, said that Vick's 2007 arrest spurred a national crackdown on organized dogfighting.
"The number of raids doubled, and legislators stepped into action," Goodwin said. "There are 26 new laws increasing penalties for dogfighting."
Kennel sales fell. The "Sporting Dog Journal" was shut down and its publisher was arrested. Most other trade publications disappeared, though two new ones have appeared within the past year.
But although Vick's arrest launched a crackdown on organized dogfighting, many believe that his public association with dogfighting made it more popular among urban "street fighters."
"Absolutely, no doubt in my mind," said George Bengal, director of law enforcement for the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "It [dogfighting] became the thing to do. To young people who looked up to him, it was like, 'It's OK to do this.' "
Sean Moore, 28, a former Chicago dogfighter who now works with the humane society's campaign to end dogfighting, agrees.
"For the younger guys, it pretty much made it worse," Moore said. "Michael Vick was like a king to them."
Moore said that it seems that street-level dogfighting is more common now, and more out of control.
"There's no order now," Moore said. "We used to fight [dogs] in abandoned garages, basements. Today kids fight right at the bus stop, in school yards. Now, you see somebody talking tough, you fight him."
Barbara Paul, who prosecutes animal-cruelty cases for the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, said that many lower-level dogfighters in Philadelphia and other cities are involved in drug dealing and other crimes.
Paul worries that Vick's quick return to celebrity-athlete status will send a message that dogfighting isn't that serious an offense.
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