Will Michael Vick Be As Saved As His Dogs?

Judge Henry E. Hudson did something unusual. Instead of ordering Vick’s 49 pit bulls put down, he ordered that they be individually evaluated.  As a result, all but two survived, 25 are in foster homes, and other are doing things like providing therapy to cancer patients.  Instead of names like “Homicide” and “Maniac”, they now have names like “Teddles” and “Sweat Pea”.  If dogs can change, can humans?

In a related story, perhaps humans who are attached to their pets more than to certain people in their lives aren’t so crazy after all.  Joel Gavriele-Gold, a psychoanalyst in private practice in Manhattan and the author of When Pets Come Between Partners, says, “Humans tend to be very disappointing – notice our divorce rate,” Gavriele-Gold said. “Dogs are not hurtful and humans are. People are inconsistent and dogs are fairly consistent.”  While, Matilda, a “pet and partners priest” and marryyourpet.com takes things too far, Gavriele-Gold says that in some cases, a pet is a good outlet for somene who is a control freak, and can exercise that trait on a pet rather than to a loved one.

In some cases, a pet can provide an outlet for more unpleasant traits, like a need to control others, a refusal to compromise or an inability to grant other people autonomy.

Gavriele-Gold described one patient as “a total control freak” who became a dog trainer.

“It worked out really well for him,” he said. “He was able to marry a woman who was totally laid-back, and he had no desire to control her because he was able to do it with the dogs.”

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.