Michael Vick Declines Opportunity to Visit 'Victim' Dogs

Michael Vick is headed to the Bay Area this weekend as the Philadelphia Eagles prepare to embarrass play the Oakland Raiders in a little game we like to call football. But, contrary to what you might expect (since he's doing a worldwide goodwill tour paying visits to animal shelters), Vick will not be visiting dogs that were rescued from his fighting ring.

Vick was given the opportunity by BAD RAP (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls, the group that took in 10 of his dogs) to stop by and he has declined the offer, which upset BAD RAP co-founder Tim Racer.

"We understand Vick is trying to right his wrongs and is very interested in redemption, but you can't find redemption without acknowledging your victims," Racer said. "Making amends to the dogs themselves would have helped to create some closure for many of us, especially those people who worked so hard to keep them from being destroyed. It seems that Vick is not ready to go there."

Now, I'm not a defender of the freedoms of dogfighters. And I also understand that this isn't PETA we're talking about, either -- it's a group dedicated to saving pit bulls and making sure that pit bull owners don't get a bad rap for the stereotypes that are often associated with this breed.

But here's the thing: what does Vick gain by visiting these dogs? Or better yet, what does anyone gain? BAD RAP would get some publicity through the visit (they're getting it anyway). But so would an angry mob of dog lovers, which probably wouldn't end well.

Additionally, Vick is supposed to keep his distance from dogs as a condition of his probation; why bother flirting with a judge's orders for a visitation with a group of animals that may or may not remember him (and even though the jury's still out on science, I'm fairly confident that it's the latter given the amount of time that's passed)?

This isn't Vick being callous or uncaring. This is Vick doing his best to create the least possible publicity surrounding his situation and his rehabilitation. And while I'm not sure if he's using a high-powered PR firm to make his decisions, it sure does seem that way.