Dog Rescued from Michael Vick to Visit Rachael Ray

It is so gratifying when the American public manages to make some good result from tragedy. It appears that the Michael Vick sponsored abuse and exploitation of the American Pit Bull Terrier has finally turned the tide of the formerly overwhelming bad press on the breed.

This Friday, Bay Area Dog-Owners Responsible About Pit Bulls (BADRAP) will appear on America's sweetheart celebrity Chef Rachael Ray's television show with Johnny Justice, a Pit Bull rescued from the infamous dog fighting compound of former NFL quarterback Michael Vick. The folks at BADRAP have become the bona-fide ambassadors of the former "Vick Dogs" which are now also becoming commonly referred to as America's Dogs. According to the Rachael Ray show website, a segment in the show will highlight the outcome of the dogs from the fighting compound and "look at the emotional battle to give them a new life".

Responsible owners of pit bull dogs have had little voice in the past, their attempts to bring sanity to the debate over the breed were drowned out in a sea of media sensationalism that concentrated on isolated attack incidents. Thanks to the tragedy and new hope arising from the story of America's Dogs, lovers of the breed are finding their voices and more members of the public are willing to listen to the positive side of the debate.

Responsible celebrity owners appear to be more compelled to step forward and showcase their own pit bull family members. Perhaps this is due to a desire to counter the outrageous and criminal exploitation of the breed by celebrity sports star Michael Vick.

Researching why Rachael Ray would be interested in this subject and what it would have in common with a celebrity television chef led quickly to a primary fact: Rachael Ray is a pit bull owner. Her pit bull, Isaboo, is mentioned in her bio on the show's web site. She's also been actively combatting a New York City politician's recent attempts to ban the breed.

It's a relief to know that that's the reason for the special guest appearance of Johnny Justice and BADRAP on the show...we initially feared Johnny might be an ingredient in some exotic recipe.

After all, many pit bull owners claim their dogs are the spice of life.