DogFighting

The other day when Animal Planet announced 'Taking on Tyson,' a new reality program about former heavyweight boxing champion -- and ex-convict -- Mike Tyson's love for pigeons, you had to be a little skeptical. It's hard to imagine the bruiser having a soft spot in his heart for fowl, but he does.

Well, apparently, the good folks at PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals, are not happy about the show. They aren't doubt Tyson's affection for the birds, but they deem pigeon racing -- and the breeding and caring for the birds -- as cruelty. It's as bad as dog fighting, they say.

On Sunday, Michael Vick will be interviewed on 60 Minutes in hopes of showing contrition, making a case for his NFL comeback and generally doing as much PR as possible to rehabilitate his image. The former Atlanta Falcon quarterback and NFL poster boy is pretty desperate to get back into the league -- and the money that comes with it.

Michael Vick, as you probably know, was once the highest paid quarterback in the NFL. He was on the cover of magazines and was considered an unstoppable force on the field. Off the field, however, he was running an illegal dog-fighting business. He spent most of the last two years either in court or in prison for his involvement in a syndicate that promoted gambling and killed dogs.

Seriously?! Is this what it's come to. Not only does every C- and D-List celebrity get their own reality series, but now we're giving shows to animals from the news? Sure it's great that the National Geographic Channel show Dogtown is going to try and rehabilitate the dogs that Michael Vick used in his dogfighting gambit, but is this really TV-worthy? Does the channel really need to stoop this low?

Apparently they could use the buzz, and look it worked because here we are: Nat Geo is going to chronicle the rehabilitation efforts of the 22 animals rescued in the Vick scandal, focusing on four of the toughest cases. I certainly hope they're successful, because I think if an animal proves unable to rehabilitate, they have no choice but to put it down. That'd make for a hell of a downer to end the series. "In the end, the dogs were too far gone, hopelessly driven by fear and violence. Let us now say goodbye as they take their final slumber into eternity ... Damn you, Michael Vick! Damn you straight to hell!" Then PETA stages a protest.