Vegetarian Star

As you know by now, Michael Vick and the Humane Society of the United States have teamed up, for better or worse.

Vick has been making public appearances, talking about the cruel decisions he made to partake in dog fighting and trying to convince teens and youth not to follow the same path.

“At some point, I got sidetracked,” Vick said. “I started listening to my friends and doing some things that were not ethical and not right.”

Vick, who spent 18 months in federal prison for his involvement with dog fighting encourages these high school students to speak up if they know animal cruelty is taking place.

Watch the clip above to hear Vick speak to teens at Nueva Esperanza Academy in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

via hsus.org

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Michael Vick has blogged at globalgrind.com, which is, ironically, a website started by vegan Russell Simmons.

In his post, Vick claims the one thing that made him remorseful for his role in dog fighting was meeting dozens of animal lovers and activists.

“Sitting in a prison cell didn’t make me feel remorse. It was meeting so many animal lovers, speaking with them and looking them in their eyes. Staring at them. Looking so deep into their eyes that I began to feel their pain. Allowing that pain to enter into my body is when I started to understand how bad it really was. I have been trying hard to connect with people who feel this pain,because for my whole life I was disconnected from the suffering of animals. And you might say, “come on Mike, how could you do those things to those dogs?” And you’re right…I ask myself those questions every day. What kind of person does this? How does a human-being treat dogs or any animal with such pain and cruelty? And the hard part for me is the answer to these questions. Because the answer is ME. And I am trying so hard right now to become a better person, because who I was, I am ashamed of.”

What do you think? Is Vick legit? Or are these fake feelings of empathy in a well pulled publicity stunt?

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When Michael Vick expressed interest in working with the Humane Society for anti-dogfighting education programs, he had his share of skeptics.

And while it’s still unsure of whether or not he’s actually contrite or pulling a publicity stunt, at least he’s following through on his word.

According to TMZ, Vick was spotted giving an anti-dogfighting lecture in the Englewood section of Chicago, Illinois yesterday, as part of community based End Dogfighting outreach programs sponsored by the HSUS.

According to a recent blog entry by HSUS CEO and president Wayne Pacelle, the programs were built around the concept that ex offenders may have a powerful role in preventing the behavior.

“We took note of the anti-gang and anti-violence programs done by others in urban communities, and re-engineered these programs to combat dogfighting. These programs are built around the leadership of ex-dogfighters who have turned around their lives and who are now engaging kids in more positive interactions with pit bulls.”

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