Mike Vick’s Dog Home Bought

Who said bad places can’t be used for good? Bad Newz Kennels, the house where football star Mike Vick used to breed and fight dogs, has been purchased by an animal rescue organization and will now be called “Dogs Deserve better,” according to NBC News. The Pennsylvania-based philanthropic organization is said to have paid about $600,000 for the Surry County Virginia 5-bedroom home to use as a rehabilitation center for dogs that are often kept locked up.

The property saw much media attention in 2007 when it was raided and used as the central evidence against the athlete in his criminal trial for animal cruelty and felony charges. At the time, Vick was a quarterback with the Atlanta Falcons. After being found guilty, the baller spent 18 months in prison and slowly managed to piece his life back together. In 2009, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and worked with the Humane Society to battle dog fighting.

Regarding the property and everything it symbolizes, NBC Sports reports the group’s founder Tamira Thayne as saying, "I think by us overtaking this property we are winning for the dogs. We are, in essence, giving this property back to the dogs that were abused there by using it to help other dogs just like them.”