The Virginian-Pilot
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Dogs Deserve Better, a Pennsylvania-based animal-rights group, will put a down payment Friday on Michael Vick's former house in Surry County, a spokeswoman for the group said Tuesday.
The group plans to pay $176,507 as the down payment but needs much more to finish paying for the house and to make improvements, founder Tamira Thayne said. The asking price for the house is $595,000.
When the project in Surry is finished, it will be a $2.5 million facility, Thayne said.
"We want to show America that times are changing," she said. "Americans want dogs treated with love and respect."
The group plans to renovate the 4,600-square-foot house on 15 acres as an animal sanctuary and national headquarters.
Vick, the NFL star quarterback, was picked first overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2001 NFL draft before he was involved in an illegal interstate dogfighting ring, for which he served prison time. Vick returned to the NFL and now quarterbacks the Philadelphia Eagles. He grew up in Newport News and starred at Virginia Tech.
"We're going to need a lot of volunteers when we get there," Thayne said. "We need to fence the entire property."
Vick's dogfighting operation was called Bad Newz Kennels. Dogs Deserve Better wants to name the new sanctuary the Good Newz Rehab Center for Chained and Penned Dogs.
The total amount Dogs Deserve Better plans to invest in the purchase and renovation of the Vick property.
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This property is zoned
This property is zoned AR1....which means agriculture/residential...it is not zoned for commercial use and NEVER will be! I live in Surry, and myself and ALL of the neighbors will be at the zoning meetings and it will NOT be approved....then what? It is a joke and a real sad use of donated money. For 2.5 million dollars, you can build one heck of a re hab facility on a lot more and better suited property! The land behind the house is a mud hole!
zoning
Where were all of you concerned citizens when it was being used to house and murder dozens of fighting dogs? Maybe Vick could afford to hand out a little dough whereas a rescue group can't and that's why you're upset about it.
HEY!
Are they looking to use the connection to Michael as their big publicity standard? IMO, Michael ought to keep them from using/abusing him by getting a permanent injunction against any connection to him or his notorious business. Too much vengeance by sycophants.
btw
For the pre-school like sentence he ended up serving because he was soooo 'needed' back on the field, I think Vick should generously donate the remaining balance of the house as a nice 'gesture' and good 'pr' measure. Ya know, to add on to his oh so sincere and wonderful works with the humane societies of late. What an honorable thing for him to consider....Although, I hope they get a Voodou priest out there to bless that land first. I'm sure evil energy still lurks there.
Poor money management
The groups heart is in the right place, but the money management is poor. They need to also think sustainment beyond the initial purchase. Will we see the house back on the market once the publicity has died down? Seems like we've seen it for sale a lot over the past couple of years. They're based in Tipton (Blair County), Pa, right? They could have any number of properties for half that and with twice the acreage (example) in Blair and neighboring counties. They wouldn't have to move their staff and change suppliers. Where the bulk of their donation base? It just seems like a lot of $$ being expended to m
Link didn't work
Example: www.landwatch.com/Huntingdon-County-Pennsylvania-House-for-sale/pid/119013074
good gracious!
What is with all the haters? Sorry we can't solve all of the world's problems with your hard earned 2.5mil. Ya know I think it's also a waste of money that professional football players get paid too. I can think of better ways to spend that money. At least this org is addressing a growing problem dealing with innocent animals that can't defend themselves. Are you that barbaric? have a heart!
Ummm...
I like dogs too but I can't help thinking theres a better use for the money and the property in this day and age.
UMMM
And I can't help thinking that it is solely the organization's business what they do with their money and their property. And, anticipating potentially lame responses to this comment, it is the individual decision of each potential doner whether to donate to that organization or not.
Good luck!
As long as the animals at this facility are safe, loved, and treated humanely and with respect, I'm all for it, no matter where you choose to put it.
FYI:
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/