KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar BluffWoman Auctions Vick Cards Chewed on by Dog

Woman Auctions Vick Cards Chewed on by Dog

Woman Auctions Vick Cards Chewed on by Dog
By: CJ Cassidy

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Many people have probably felt sickened over details of NFL quarterback Michael Vick and his alleged dogfighting enterprise.

Now a local woman is showing her anger and disgust in a most unusual way.

She's auctioning off her entire collection of Michael Vick trading cards online, and says it's up to the highest bidder to decide which animal shelter the money goes to.  If the winner does not have a preference, then she'll give it all to the Cape Girardeau Humane Society.

But there's a twist. The cards are not in the best shape.  Monte the weimereiner has some new chew toys: Michael Vick trading cards.  

"It was pretty funny to see. I had to take a few of them away from there because he was biting the heads off," Monte's owner, Rochelle Steffen said.  

She posted those cards on Ebay to auction off to the highest bidder and says she will donate the money to an animal charity.

"Some people even said even though they are not bidding on auction, they are going to donate to their animal shelter.  That's the kind of impact I was hoping for," Steffen said.

Steffen doesn't have to say she's a dog lover.  Her brood says it all.  Besides Monte, she also has a great dane pup and a pitbull mix she rescued during Hurricane Katrina.  It's small wonder Steffen is disgusted by allegations of Vick's dogfighting operation.

"Anybody who's had that much of an impact, supposed to be a role model, it's appalling you know that he would fund that with fan money.  Fans are what's making people pay to get him to be a quarterback," she said.

Not everyone agrees.

"Treat him as a regular person. Not just an athlete. But they should be more lenient about it, instead of trying to take away his whole life," said SEMO quarterback Houston Lillard.  

Still, Lillard traded in his number, the seven Michael Vick sported, for a noncontroversial number five.

"I wanted to be my own player, not known as another black quarterback," he said.

Back at her home, Steffen says people need to remember the real issues at stake.

"It's not about race.  It's about dogs and how they should be treated well," she said.

Steffen also says she's been threatened by some Vick fans who logged on, but she isn't worried.

More than 10,000 people have been to the auction site, and the highest bid was $6400 at last check.

You still have until August 29 to make a bid.