Dozen 'Vick dogs' up for adoption

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Twelve dogs that belonged to suspended football star Michael Vick are up for adoption in Virginia, but the new owners may not know where the animals came from.

Nine beagles, two Rottweilers and a Cane Corso seized from Vick's Virginia property are among 50 dogs available for adoption, the Virginia Beach Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said on its Web site.

But prospective owners won't be told if a dog they wish to adopt was one of Vick's, Sharon Adams, the shelter's executive director, told The Virginian-Pilot newspaper.

"Folks that want a 'Vick dog' are not who we are looking for," Adams said, the newspaper reported Wednesday.

Vick, who was quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, pleaded guilty in August in a federal dogfighting conspiracy case and is to be sentenced Dec. 10.

The 12 dogs apparently have no scars that would indicate they were fighters.

More than 60 dogs, including 48 pit bulls, were taken from Vick's property in Surry County, Va. Most of the animals remain in federal custody, awaiting placement in shelters.