People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals headquarters in Norfolk, VA quietly welcomed suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick last month for an eight-hour course on empathy and animal protection in connection with his dogfighting scandal.
Vick was the only student at the Sept. 18 class, which was taught by several PETA staff members according to Dan Shannon, Vick's escort for the day. The NFL star passed a "very rigorous" written test at the end of the course, he added.
"He was asking questions, following up on points we were making, taking notes," Shannon said. "He seemed to be putting an honest effort into trying to get something out of the course."
Shannon said Vick told him "he wished he had gotten to take a course like this five years ago."
Vick's first trip to PETA's office was on Sept. 7, when he met with the group's president, Ingrid Newkirk. According to PETA's Web site, Vick apologized for his abuse of dogs. It was Newkirk's idea to make the course available to Vick, Shannon said.
"Actually, we were very surprised he took us up on it," he said. "We made it clear to him that this was something he needed to try to get something out of. We weren't interested in some kind of PR ploy."
He said PETA officials also told Vick they still believe he deserves prison time. The quarterback is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 10 on a federal dogfighting conspiracy conviction and faces up to five years in prison. He also has been indicted on state dogfighting charges.
In other Vick news, a team of dog behavioral experts assembled by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to test the 49 dogs seized from his property found that only one of them should be euthanized.
According to a motion filed Monday in U.S. District Court, the dogs fall into five categories that include eventual adoption and specialized training for law enforcement work. Some of the dogs either exhibited fear toward people or suffered from a medical condition.
The motion doesn't indicate how many dogs were placed in each category other than to suggest one, identified as number 2621, is an immediate candidate for euthanasia because its aggression toward humans made a complete examination unsafe.
The motion also requests that the court appoint a guardian to oversee the disposition and possible placement of the 48 remaining dogs. The motion now goes before U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson, who is handling the dogfighting case. He can either grant it with all its provisions or deny it.
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