Where is Michael Vick When We Need Him?

So here in Philly, the Michael Vick situation is still making headlines. "Will he play or won't he?" is one but there are also others about sporting goods stores (Dick's, for one) that refuse to carry his jersey as well as a summit hosted by the Eagles for area animal welfare groups. Then there was the one about Vick being spotted in a bar sipping an alcoholic beverage recently and questions about whether or not this violated the rules of his parole. No answer to that one.

But perhaps the most disheartening one came a few days ago when the PA SPCA announced that it had uncovered and broken up a dog-fighting operation right in the Eagles' backyard. Animal welfare officers, acting on a tip to an animal cruelty hot-line, discovered two dead dogs and five others badly injured. "The dogs were all scared," said George Bengal, director of law enforcement for the PA SPCA. "One appeared to have been in a real recent fight. . . he was still bleeding."

According to Bengal, the entire block where the dogs had been found was "a mecca for fighting." "This particular bust is especially timely," noted Gail Luciani, PR officer for the PA SPCA.

Here's my question: where is Michael Vick when we need him? We know that he made an appearance in bankruptcy court in Virginia the day of the Eagles' last pre-season game, but do we know if he bothered to go door-to-door in this neighborhood and help round up any other dogs used for fights? Did he help stake out this house in an area known for this type of behavior? Did he offer to pay for the veterinary care for any of these abused dogs in his new city?

Stay tuned. It remains to be seen whether or not a leopard really can change its spots.