USA TODAY
(USA TODAY) -- Now that he'll be staying with the Philadelphia Eagles for at least one more season,
Michael Vick can spend the next few months doing what any suburban dad
would do with a little bit of free time on his hands as spring
approaches. He could work on his golf game, take the kids to Dave &
Busters, maybe head over to Lowe's to get a head start on the gardening.
In Vick's case, one of those activities happens to be signing up for
dog training classes at a local PetSmart, the sort of thing that
wouldn't normally raise any eyebrows had the Eagles quarterback not
served federal prison time in the most famous dog fighting case in U.S.
history.
Philadelphia
sports site Crossing Broad posted several photos of Vick and his dog
enrolled in training classes at a New Jersey location of the retailer,
providing the following context.
Via Crossing Broad:
A
CB tipster, whose claims can be corroborated by several tweeters, sent
along a few photos of Vick that were taken at a New Jersey PetSmart*,
where Vick, his family and a bodyguard have been attending dog training
classes for Angel, the Vick family's young Belgian Malinois (a type of
Shepherd).
The tipster says that Vick frequents
the store and signed up for a total of six training classes on Monday
evenings, with this being the second week.
Vick admitted in October that his family owned a dog, something that he was legally allowed to do after his probation expired last summer.
"I
understand the strong emotions by some people about our family's
decision to care for a pet," Vick said in a statement at the time. "As a
father, it is important to make sure my children develop a healthy
relationship with animals. I want to ensure that my children establish a
loving bond and treat all of God's creatures with kindness and respect.
Our pet is well cared for and loved as a member of our family. This is
an opportunity to break the cycle. To that end, I will continue to honor
my commitment to animal welfare and be an instrument of positive
change."
From the look of the photos, he appears to be doing just
that. Irresponsible pet owners don't usually spend time and money to
make sure their puppies learn the proper ways to sit and stay. And no
matter how uncomfortable Vick's possession of a dog will make some
fellow pet owners, he has been a model citizen since his release from
prison in 2009.
But can you imagine being one of the other dog
owners in that class and having Michael Vick just plop down in the seat
next to you? That might make for an interesting conversation with your
significant other when you get home.
"Hey honey, how did Marley do at his first training class?"
"Well, Michael Vick was there with his dog."
"Oh, that's nice. Are you going to sign up for gun safety classes with Oscar Pistorius next?"
"No, seriously. Michael Vick was in our dog training."
"Fine. Remember how I went to the DMV to renew my license yesterday? Lindsay Lohan was tooooootallly in line with me."
"Come next week. You'll see Michael Vick and his dog 'Angel'."
"I don't know why you insist on lying to me."