A whole nation looked on as a ragged group of Pit Bulls was rescued from Michael Vick’s southeastern Virginia “compound” last year.  The dogs had been mutilated, neglected, beaten and bloodied all at the hands of one of the gnarliest dog fighting rings ever broken up.

And a whole nation is looking on now as the little sweeties are rehabilitated, learning to love and indeed working towards becoming “man’s best friend.”

  22 of the Pit Bulls have been taken to Utah’s Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah. Sweet-tempered by nature, the dogs are learning to love, to play with toys, to run around and to get into mischief.

According to CNN:

Each dog has its own pen inside an octagonal housing unit and an outdoor run. They’re being fed “canine caviar” — a special dog food formulation. They’re chewing rubber bones. They can wrestle rubber toys filled with doggie treats.

Click here for the full story.

One of the most twisted stories of fate and karma intertwined that I can think of, Vick is paying for part of the rehabilitation of these dogs that he spent so much time tearing down. His fortune has rapidly disappeared since his trial, and in late November he agreed to pay nearly $1 million for the care of the dogs found on his property. It is unclear how much money went to each shelter that took the dogs in.

I have volunteered at many animal shelters in my lifetime and never have I seen one quite like Best Friends. I have never been there, but it seems like a homeless animal’s paradise from the way the media has portrayed it and based on the pictures on the website.

For a full rundown of the “ Vicktory Dogs” progress, and to make a donation to this wonderful animal shelter, visit Best Friends Animal Society.