Almaden Resident

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Pit bull from Vick case completes rehab

By Stephen Baxter

Marthina McClay's pit bull, Leo, is a charmer at the vet and around children. Leo was a rescued dog, and since December, she trained and socialized him well enough that patients at a Los Gatos hospital could pet him and be comforted.

No one could have guessed that Leo came from the Virginia dog-fighting ring of former pro football star Michael Vick.

A federal judge forbade McClay--along with the guardians of several dozen other pit bulls seized at Vick's property--from talking about Leo's origin. The gag order was lifted on Jan. 25 after the sentencing of defendant Oscar Allen.

McClay, a professional dog trainer and president of the pit bull rescue group Our Pack, said Leo has been outstanding. The nonprofit group, based in Los Gatos, uses volunteers from throughout San Jose and the Peninsula to foster pit bulls in their homes.

"He's extremely trainable," McClay said of the fawn-colored, 60-pound, 2-year-old. "He's learned good leash manners, he learned to sit for petting; I can really take him anywhere. He's been one of the best dogs I've had, actually," she said.

McClay has been working with dogs since 1972 and helped start Our Pack in 2006. It receives pit bulls from groups such as the Humane Society Silicon Valley and places them in foster and permanent homes that they screen.

Forty-seven dogs linked to Vick's case have been sent to eight animal rescue organizations throughout the country. Because Our Pack specializes in pit bulls, the group, along with the Oakland-based pit bull group Bad Rap, was chosen to help the so-called "Vick-tims" recover in the Bay Area.

Vick, a former quarterback with the Atlanta Falcons, admitted in federal court on Dec. 10 to bankrolling a dog-fighting operation and helping execute dogs at his 15-acre estate in Surrey County, Va., according to the Associated Press. He reportedly entered a minimum security prison in Kansas in January.

The level of Leo's involvement in fighting is unclear, but McClay said his progress has been so strong that he has been training to be a therapy dog for hospital patients. On Jan. 21, Leo passed his final test to become a therapy dog, and he has been hired by Good Samaritan Hospital's Mission Oaks campus for weekly appointments.

"He got a new job in a new state and a new life," McClay said.

She said a friend in Saratoga likely will adopt Leo permanently, and she hopes to track his life with photos and updates on Our Pack's website, www.OurPack.org.

McClay's said Leo has been having a good time in Los Gatos, meeting ambulance drivers, children and other dogs.

"We evaluate each dog, and some dogs are going to be damaged," she said. "This dog is super stable."