What possesses a human to buy puppies for the sole purpose of making them mean and fighting to the death or almost death? And if they don’t perform well in “trials” they are killed by electrocution, hanging, drowning or slamming the dog to the ground.

This is what NFL quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons Michael Vick has been indicted for doing.

According to prosecutors, Vick and his cohorts began purchasing pit bull puppies in late-2001 and would eventually “sponsor” individual dog fights with purses as high as $26,000. In the indictment’s most harrowing parts, federal investigators describe what happened to some Bad Newz Kennels dogs that either lost matches or did not perform well in test fights. After a March 2003 loss by a female pit bull, codefendant Purnell Peace, “after consulting with Vick,” electrocuted the animal. In April, prosecutors allege, Vick, Peace, and Quanis Phillips, “executed approximately 8 dogs that did not perform well in ‘testing’ sessions.” These animals, the indictment claims, were killed “by various methods, including hanging, drowning, and slamming at least one dog’s body to the ground.”

According to this story, if found guilty he could be sentenced to up to six years in prison, $350,000 in fines and restitution.

John Goodwin of the Humane Society said the manner in which losing or unwilling dogs were killed was especially troubling.

“Some of the grisly details in these filings shocked even me, and I’m a person who faces this stuff every day,” he said. “I was surprised to see that they were killing dogs by hanging them and one dog was killed by slamming it to the ground. Those are extremely violent methods of execution — they’re unnecessary and just sick.”

Restitution to whom? Certainly not the dogs, and the dogs are known to be vicious anyway, but with the extra “training” they have had the remaining dogs have probably had to be euthanized because they wouldn’t be safe for anyone to keep.

Everyone is presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law, but if anyone is found guilty of this crime against animals I hope he gets the full sentence with no mercy shown.