All I can say is thank you to U .S. District Judge Henry Hudson who today sentenced suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick to 23 months in prison.Details can be found here.

Animal rights activists have been lobbying for the full five years in prison, but that would have made an example out of Vick instead of punishing him. His sentence was in line with what two of his co-defendents got. And Vick’s bankrolling of the operation and admitted participation in the killing of dogs was considerable dogfighting participation.

I have heard and read many arguments that the prosecution of Vick is a race issue. Hopefully his sentencing will lessen those arguments. His sentence was within guidelines and decidedly un-showy (not sure if that’s in the Webster’s Dictionary, but you get my point.)

My only hope is that law enforcement, using this case as a motive, puts more effort into cracking down on dogfighting. I don’t think Vick’s case will be enough to make these degenerates stop on their own, because I’m sure their egos are big enough to keep at it.

I saw a headline on an online news Web site that directed me to one of those
“Dear Abby”- type advice columns about what to do when your significant other doesn’t like your pet.

I didn’t even realize there was a question about that. You obviously find a new home for it—the significant other, I mean. Seriously.

It’s one thing if you two are already married and one wants a pet the other one doesn’t. But if you are in a new relationship and your date isn’t thrilled you live with a four-legged friend—time to say thanks for dinner and try again.

I once had a friend invite me to a party to meet another friend of hers with the hopes of sparking mutual interest between the two of us. Mind you, he didn’t know about this set-up, but I did. It was beginning to seem like a good idea when, at the end of the evening, I said I had to get home to Joey and Molly.

When he asked who they were and I explained that they were my dogs he promptly went off on how he couldn’t stand dogs: they were smelly and time consuming and blah, blah, blah.

So that was the end of that. That’s actually the only time in my life a relationship ended before it got started.

I’m not saying everyone has to be an animal lover (I myself am not a fan of cats.) But when it comes down to your furry friend or your new interest—pick the furry friend everytime.

Here’s proof that those lost pet fliers work.

An Illinois family has been reunited with their cat more than five months after it went missing while they were on vacation in Rockland. The cat got loose and ran away while the family was staying at the Nanuet Comfort Inn. The family distributed fliers to the Hi-Tor Animal Care Center before they left, hoping workers would recognize their tabby cat.

Sure enough, when a New City family turned in a cat to the shelter—the cat had frequented their yard—Hi-Tor workers recognized it as the Illinois cat. The family drove down from Indiana, where they were visiting family for Thanksgiving, to claim their cat.