Last surviving dog from Michael Vick's dogfighting ring dies at 15
"Sweet Frodo" was one of the "bravest survivors" of the grim group, and was "pampered like a prince" by rescuers.
- Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year" award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
Frodo, the final surviving dog from former NFL player Michael Vick's horrific dogfighting ring, died Saturday, dog-rescue group Badrap said on its Facebook page. Frodo was rescued in 2007 from the infamous interstate group known as Bad Newz Kennels.
"The last 14 years of his life were spent being pampered like a prince with the Ramirez family and dogs," the post reads, "Sweet Frodo -- how we loved him. He was one of the bravest survivors we've ever met."
The incredible 'Vick dog' era is over. On Saturday, we had the great honor and privilege of attending the transition...
Posted by BAD RAP on Monday, December 20, 2021
The group estimates the dog was 15 years old when he died, meaning he was just about a year old when seized from the dogfighting ring. Vick pled guilty to dogfighting charges and spent 21 months in federal prison. The New York Times detailed the horrors of how the dogs were treated in a 2014 story about Vick and the group. (Warning -- that link contains disturbing descriptions.)
A page on the Badrap site details the post-fighting lives of 10 of the Vick dogs, including Frodo.
"Frodo doesn't wear any fancy titles, but he's probably one of the most accomplished Vick dogs of all, considering how shut down he was when we first met him in Virginia," the site reads. "He was once so timid that he couldn't look his caretakers in the eye, much less take treats out of their hands. But he has since blossomed into a cheerful dog who prods his favorite humans for attention."
Another of the Vick rescued dogs, Uba, died in October, and another, Jonny Justice, died just days before Frodo.
"Oh Jonny!" the group noted on its Facebook page. "We thought you might live forever."