The Lost Dogs in Paperback

We, here in Philadelphia, are acutely aware of Michael Vick and many previous Eagles fans have sworn off the team. Others merely feel that what will be, will be, and don't tie the team's fortunes to Vick's past. In any event, with the recent release of the paperback edition of Jim Gorant's book, The Lost Dogs, the folks over at Vetstreet (the new home of Dr. Patty Khuly, by the way), took the opportunity to catch up with the author.

In an enlightening interview, Gorant, a writer for Sports Ilustrated, talks about the effect of his book on dog fighting (much better reported), the dogs (some new guys have passed their Canine Good citizen test which clears the way for adoption), and a group of at-risk kids in Southern New Jersey who have used his book as a means to address their own histories of abuse.

But in the most telling comment (at least to me), Gorant notes the following about Michael Vick: "I've been told that in the off-season, [Vick] does two sessions [appearing at schools of talk about the evils of dog fighting] a month. . . Only Vick knows how sincere he may or may not be, but either way he's doing the right thing and helping to address the problem in a positive way--and that is what is important."

What do you think? Is talking the talk enough or does it only mean something if he also walks the walk? And how would we ever know if he was truly doing both?