SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - The name of the app says it all: Dog Wars. The game was a free app for Android phones from Kage Games LLC. The makers of the app bragged, "it will allow you to feed, water, train and fight your virtual dog."
The folks at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary outside of Kanab were not amused.
They have witnessed first hand what happens to dogs trained to fight. Three years ago, a chartered plane brought them 22 of Michael Vick's wounded pit bulls. The NFL quarterback was convicted on federal charges related to a dog fighting operation. He had 57 pit bulls.
A few of the dogs sent to Best Friends have recovered well enough to be adopted. Most remain in rehab three years later.
Best Friends' spokeswoman Temma Martin said, "Dogs are dying every day in fights and being horribly maimed and injured and it's certainly not something we want glorified in a game."
Through blogs and emails, Best Friends helped fuel a nationwide campaign that got the offensive game pulled from the Android online market.
Even Michael Vick spoke out against the game. "We're very pleased to hear that," Martin observed.
The sun popped out briefly Tuesday evening, drawing dogs and their humans out to play at Franks Park off 7th East in Salt Lake City. The dogs could have cared less, but when ABC 4 News showed the Dog Wars app to their humans, they reacted with words such as "disgraceful, awful, and cruelty."
Best Friends' victory is also their victory.
