Shortly after Michael Vick was indicted on federal dogfighting charges, he attended an empathy class at PETA’s headquarters in Norfolk, Va. He learned a lot from the class that his friends had never taught him, including that dogs have feelings and deserve better than being treated like fighting machines.

I believe that having time to reflect in prison, being brought to the brink of bankruptcy and being encouraged to do right might have made a new man of Michael Vick. I would be willing to bet he now knows that a man should be a dog’s best friend — not his worst nightmare.

Perhaps I am naïve, but I hope not. There is never any worth in hating; the only thing that makes life worth living is holding out hope that people will examine the bad things they do and change. I hope that Michael Vick has changed, and I hope that the people who were guided by his example will change too.

Ingrid E. Newkirk,

President, People for the Ethical Treatment of Anim