Sadly, Sally was found. She had been hit by a car, and, because she had no ID, her owners had not been notified.
Get yours today!
Go to http://www.strayfromtheheart.org/ for all the pictures and to get your copy of the 2008 Stray from the Heart calendar -- Tails of Hope and Joy. Our little gondolier (left) is Mr. July!
Go to CNN for full coverage: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/12/10/vick.sentenced/index.html
RICHMOND, Virginia (CNN) -- Michael Vick, once one of the highest paid players in the National Football League, was sentenced to 23 months in prison for financing a dogfighting ring and helping to kill pit bulls that did not fight aggressively.
Michael Vick began serving his sentence before he knew what it would be.
Vick's stunning downfall from NFL superstar to disgraced dogfighting defendant culminated Monday in a 90-minute sentencing hearing in federal court in Richmond, Virginia.
Vick was dressed in a black-and-white striped prison suit and apologized to his family and to the judge.
"You need to apologize also to the millions of young people who look up to you," U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson retorted.
"I am willing to deal with the consequences and accept responsibility for my actions," Vick continued, as about a dozen of his friends and family members looked on.
But Judge Hudson appeared to be unmoved. "I'm convinced it was not a momentary lack of judgment on your part. You were a full partner," he told Vick.
The judge added that he wasn't sure Vick had fully accepted reponsiblity for his actions. Supporters, including former baseball great Hank Aaron, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and the pastor of Vick's church sent letters while others called the judge's chambers.
Vick, 27, had faced a maximum of five years in prison. Federal sentencing guidelines recommended a sentence of 12 to 18 months.
Animal rights protesters lined up outside the courthouse. Some carried signs with photographs of dogs, while others read "Dogs deserve justice," and "Report dog fighters."
U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg said after the hearing that the investigation "exposed a seamy side of our society." He added, "I hope Mr. Vick learned important lessons and that his admission of guilt will speed his rehabilitation."
I just wanted to send out a big thank you to everyone who attended the third annual home for the holidays party last night at Guest House in Chelsea. The crowd was amazing! The food was awesome, and the raffle was the best ever!
Have a great Xmas!
Love, Carol, Georgia, Dylan, Rosa and Micah
These, courtesy of The Daily Drool (www.dailydrool.com/recipes)
I was looking for some of the Three Dog Bakery recipes and stumbled across this great resource for all natural dog treats you can make at home. Here are a few selections. Full menu at the link above.
Carol
BANANA PUPCAKES (3 dog bakery)
2 cups water
2 bananas
1/2 teasp vanilla
3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1 egg
2 tablespoons honey
Preheat onen to 350. In a bowl combine water, mashed bananas, vanilla, egg and honey. Add flour and baking powder. Mix well. Pour into cupcake pans. ( I used nonstick spray on the pans) Bake 20 min or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Frosting - In a mixer combine 12 oz nonfat cream cheese, 1 teasp. vanilla, 1 teasp. honey. Add 3 teasp cinnamon or carob powder, if desired.
DOGGIE COOKIES
2 1/2 c Whole wheat flour
1/2 c Powdered dry milk
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 ts Garlic powder
1 ts Brown sugar
6 tb Meat drippings
1 Beaten egg
1/2 c Ice water
1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil a cookie sheet.Combine flour, dry milk, salt, garlic powder andsugar. Cut in meat drippings until mixture resemblescorn meal. Mix in egg. Add enough water so thatmixture forms a ball. Using your fingers, pat outdough onto cookie sheet to half inch thick. Cut withcookie cutter or knife and remove scraps. Scraps canbe formed again and baked.
2. Bake 25-30 minutes.Remove from tray and cool on rack. from: _Cookiemania_
BANANA BISCOTTI
Courtesy of Three Dog Bakery
5 cups White Flour
1/4 cup Peanuts, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 medium Egg
1/4 cup Vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups pureed Banana
2 teaspoons Vanilla
Water
Preheat oven to 325F/160C.
Mix dry, then wet ingredients until lumpy. Add water, one teaspoon at a time as needed. Knead by handon table until mixed thoroughly. Form into logs approximately 2" - 2 1/2" high. Flatten so that log is 6" - 7" wide by 1" high. Place on non-stick baking sheets. Bake approximately 30 - 40 minutes. Remove and cool for 10 minutes. Slice into 1/2" - 3/4" slices. Place onbaking sheets and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.
This from today's New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/25/sports/football/25vick.html?ref=football
After Plea, Vick Is Given Suspension by the N.F.L.
By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT and JUDY BATTISTA
Published: August 25, 2007
The National Football League suspended Michael Vick indefinitely without pay yesterday after he admitted in court papers that he paid for dogfighting bets and helped kill underperforming dogs.
The 27-year-old Vick, the Atlanta Falcons’ star quarterback, will be out for at least the 2007 N.F.L. season and probably much longer. If he serves a year in prison — the sentence recommended in the plea agreement — he will probably not be eligible to play again until 2009.
Vick’s admissions came in a plea agreement filed at the federal courthouse in Richmond, Va., where he is expected to plead guilty formally on Monday to felony charges of conspiring to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and conspiring to sponsor a dog in an animal-fighting venture.
Also Monday, the federal judge in the case, Henry E. Hudson, is expected to schedule a sentencing hearing, probably for November.
N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell told Vick in a letter that his actions were “cruel and reprehensible” and that Vick’s involvement in gambling was a violation of the N.F.L.’s personal conduct policy.
By accepting the plea deal, Vick said he would cooperate with the investigation regarding any criminal activity.
He also said that he did not place side bets on any of the fights and did not share in the purses that were won by Bad Newz Kennels, but he said that he was present when his co-defendants placed bets.
Vick said that he agreed to the killing of “approximately 6 to 8 dogs that did not perform well in ‘testing’ sessions,” adding that “all the dogs were killed by various methods, including hanging and drowning.”
He agreed to pay restitution for the costs associated with the 53 pit bulls that authorities have held as evidence since they were seized from his property in April. The costs, the plea agreement said, include the “long-term care and/or the humane euthanasia of some or all of those animals as may be directed by the court in this case.”
In Goodell’s letter to Vick, he said that he would review the suspension after legal proceedings were concluded.
He said that in reviewing the suspension, he would take into consideration the possibility of new charges; Vick’s conduct; his sentence; and how much Vick cooperated with the league and the law enforcement officials.
“Even if you personally did not place bets, as you contend, your actions in funding the betting and your association with illegal gambling both violate the terms of your N.F.L. Player Contract and expose you to corrupting influences in derogation of one of the most fundamental responsibilities of an N.F.L. player,” Goodell’s letter said.
Not long after Vick was suspended, Nike announced that it had severed ties with Vick, who had been endorsing Nike products since 2001, when he was picked No. 1 over all in the N.F.L. draft.
The suspension gives the N.F.L. the flexibility to reconsider Vick’s suspension at every step: after he is sentenced; if charges are brought in Surry County, Va., where Vick owned the property on which the kennel was located; or after he has served time.
Vick’s lead defense lawyer, Billy Martin, said in a written statement: “While Mr. Vick is not personally charged with or responsible for committing all of the acts alleged in the indictment, as with any conspiracy charge, he is taking full responsibility for his actions and the actions of the others involved.”
Martin said Vick would make a public statement soon.
Even if Vick were reinstated in time for the 2009 season, he would not have thrown a ball in competition in two seasons, and would surely have lost some of his speed — one of his best weapons.
The suspension frees the Atlanta Falcons to pursue, before an arbitrator, a portion of Vick’s $37 million signing bonus because he is now in default of his 10-year, $130 million contract, one of the league’s richest. The Falcons could also decide to release Vick. Their decision is expected Monday.
“His admissions describe actions that are incomprehensible and unacceptable for a member of the National Football League and the Atlanta Falcons,” the Falcons’ owner, Arthur Blank, said in a statement.
He added, “As with other actions he has taken this year, the Commissioner is making a strong statement that conduct which tarnishes the good reputation of the N.F.L. will not be tolerated.”
Blank also said, “We hope that Michael will use this time, not only to further address his legal matters, but to take positive steps to improve his personal life.”
In a telephone interview, Daniel C. Richman, a professor at Columbia University School of Law and a former assistant United States attorney, said of Vick’s plea agreement, “It could lead to an investigation that could go in an entirely different direction, and he could be used to testify in front of a grand jury investigating other matters.”
RelatedPlea Agreement (U.S. v. Michael Vick)Statement of FactsIndictment
This from CBS News:
(CBS/AP) Less than a month after saying he looked forward to clearing his name, Michael Vick now acknowledges the heinous acts associated with his name are true.
The Atlanta Falcons quarterback said through a lawyer Monday that he will plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges, an admission that likely will mean prison time.
Vick may never play anywhere in the NFL again, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Strassman. If he put up most of the gambling money, as his co-defendants claim, the NFL could ban him for life.
But for now, any hopes of salvaging his NFL career are secondary to his impending confinement.
"His focus is on his family, his focus is on answering to this judge," Vick's lead defense attorney, Billy Martin, told The Associated Press after announcing the plea agreement Monday.
U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson can sentence Vick to up to five years in prison and fine him $250,000, although federal sentencing guidelines will call for less. A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the terms are not final, told the AP that prosecutors will recommend a sentence of a year to 18 months.
The official said such a sentence would be more than what is usually recommended for first-time offenders, reflecting the government's attempt to show that animal abusers will receive more than a slap on the wrist.
Vick will return Monday to the same courthouse where he pleaded not guilty and resolved to prove his innocence just 25 days ago. This time he will plead guilty, and Hudson will schedule a date for sentencing.
Since that initial court appearance, all three of Vick's co-defendants have pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate in the government's case against him, including testifying against him if the case had gone to trial in November as scheduled.
The co-defendants said Vick bankrolled virtually the entire "Bad Newz Kennels" operation in rural southeastern Virginia, including providing gambling funds, an act that could trigger a lifetime ban from the NFL under the league's personal conduct policy.
Two of them also said Vick participated in the brutal executions of at least eight underperforming dogs.
Facing those allegations and the prospect of a superseding indictment from a new grand jury that began meeting Monday, Vick opted to change his plea.
"Mr. Vick has agreed to enter a plea of guilty to those charges and to accept full responsibility for his actions and the mistakes he has made," Martin said in a statement. "Michael wishes to apologize again to everyone who has been hurt by this matter."
CBS News legal analyst Rikki Klieman said Vick had little choice but to accept the plea deal.
"This was a deal that he had to take at this point. It's one thing to have one person testifying against you. When you have three co-defendants, plus others testifying against you, even a great lawyer like Billy Martin knows his limits," Klieman said.
Even with his plea deal, Vick's legal troubles still aren't over, reports Strassman. That just takes care of business with the feds; state prosecutors in Virginia say they plan to bring their own charges against Vick for dogfighting sometime late next month.
Read the full story at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/21/sportsline/main3188080.shtml
