Lately, the news has gone to the dogs. Leona Helmsley, the Queen of Mean hotel heiress who died a few weeks ago, has left $12 million in her will to her beloved white Maltese dog named Trouble. Trouble is Trouble is a dog! Its a dog! The $12 million trust fund will surely keep the white pooch in the finest canine victuals and surrounded by velvet kennel furnishings. Imagine how far $12 million, well-targeted, could benefit Helmsleys own pedigree, human beings.Twelve pit bulls tied up on the Cave Creek property of music rapper DMX were seized in a raid last Saturday by Maricopa County Sheriffs deputies for allegations of animal cruelty and malnourishment. In addition, bodies of three dogs were dug up in the yard. The rappers albums include Year of the Dog Again. His attorney was blaming negligence of the houses caretakers for the dogs plight. About three weeks ago, a Chandler police dog named Bandit , a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois, died in a hot patrol car at Sgt. Tom Lovejoys home. The dog had been forgotten inside and was there 12 hours before discovered. Lovejoy led the polices K9 unit. Bandits death triggered wide debate over punishment should come, as is done if a parent leaves a child in a car. The public vigil and memorial service for Bandit on Aug. 19 at a Chandler park drew 125 people and 60 dogs. It also raised uneasiness in many that people dont turn out like that for humans who die in shootings or are victims of other untimely events.Then, of course, theres the quarterback Michael Vick dog scandal. The Atlanta Falcons superstar accepted a plea agreement this week to a federal dog-fighting conspiracy charge. Some 53 dogs, raised and trained to fight, were seized in April on his Surry County, Va., property. The pit bulls were totally unsuitable for adoption as pets and rehabilitation and seem destined to be euthanized. "These dogs are a ticking time bomb," said a spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA. "Rehabilitating fighting dogs is not in the cards. It’s widely accepted that euthanasia is the most humane thing for them."After weeks of denial, Vick finally accepted the agreement and apologized. It was disingenuous how easily he invoked faith and religion. Through this situation, Ive found Jesus, he said Monday.Im totally responsible, and those things just didnt have to happen, he tried to explain. I feel like we all make mistakes. Its just I made a mistake in using bad judgment and making bad decisions. And you know, those things, you know, just cant happen.Then Vick invoked Christ. Im upset with myself, and, you know, through this situation I found Jesus and asked him for forgiveness and turned my life over to God. And I think thats the right thing to do as of right now.His apologies that followed paralleled and echoed ones we have heard before from other high-profile people in trouble. .for this entire situation, I never pointed a finger at anybody else, I accepted responsibility for my actions of what I did and now I have to pay the consequences for it. He offered his deepest apologies to everybody out there in the world who was affected by this whole situation. He let down all the young people who had looked at him as a role model. I hope that every young kid out there in the world watching will use me as an example to using better judgment and making better decisions.He pledged to redeem himself, adding I have to. He ended his statement saying he had a lot of time on his hands to think about his actions and to cogitate on how to make Michael Vick a better person.Certainly, his high-profile crime will go a long ways to making dog and animal abuse that much more unacceptable. Cynics will say his finding Jesus and turning his life over to God comes too conveniently and without much detail. The episode and the outrage, nonetheless, point out again how much sympathy pets and animals get versus apathy for people who suffer or die. Dont mess with dogs, people like Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio continually remind us. He snarls about the mistreatment of dogs and sneers at complaints about how inmates in his jails are treated.Daily, Im reminded to err on the side of indulgence with our big boxer, Tyson, who gets the run of the house, the right to lie down in the center of any human activity and to be free to snore with volcanic breath beside our bed at night. We cant promise Tyson a $12 million inheritance, only a continuously cool house, his water dish always full, two meals a day, ample snacks and a granddaughters face to lick on weekends.

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