BAD RAP Blog

In case you didn't know, the BAD RAP Blog is about the pit bulls rescued from Michael Vick's dogfighting operation.  The contributers chronicle the dogs' recovery and adoption as well as general news on dogfighting and animal welfare.

The just recently had a very moving post about a California summer camp who incorporated the children's book Saving Audie into their activities.  After reading the book, a 12-year-old girl wrote the following essay (copied verbatim) from the dog's point of view.  It's one of the most moving pieces I've ever read:

    Bang. Loud rambicios roudy yells of the tall gangely men and and some stalky staring down at me there faces hard looking me agressively in the eye I backed against the side of the pen and a surging sting quivering through my body as I was shunted forward a single word forming on my owners lips on who broke me one who beat me all feeling pulsing in my head the wall of sound behind me "fight".
    He mouthed the dog opposite me head lolling in confusion but behined the bared teeth I saw a spark only for a split second it read a single word love. and behined the bared teeth I looked into the dogs sole it was there a kind loving other being. A dark shadow crossed his face a hurt tortured look. And the fight began. I closed my eyes.
    I woke up some time later how much time had passed I didn't know it could be weeks or months or years. But the pain was behined me of the fight. But it was still with me it had formed me in the deepest part of my broken heart. A worker dressed in a uniform passed by shooting me a sorrow filled glance and I flashed back in my mind to that terrible place.
    Pressing myself against the cinder block wall crumpling in a corner. I wanted to float away like a balloon drifting further and further awy from this place of misery and hurt. Then suddenly a heavy metal door opened and soft warm loving eyes met mine she didn't look at me like I was a monster or a terror and she opened her hands in a frindly gesture and suddenly the cinder block wall felt cold so on shaking quivering legs I got up and walked toward a new life.

Here's hoping some teacher or other adult is helping that girl in her writing...so that the insight and the talent she's shown here won't be wasted in the future.