



KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright is speaking out in a new public service announcement against dog fighting.



“It's not a sport. It's animal cruelty, plain and simple,” said Wright in a video he recorded Tuesday at the AMC Kickboxing and Pankration Martial Arts School in Kirkland.



It’s part of a new campaign being launched later this week by Pasado’s Safe Haven, a no-profit trying to end animal cruelty.



"These dogs, they need a voice. They need someone to stand up for them,” said Wright.



Wright’s co-star in the video is Meadow, a 3-year-old American Staffordshire terrier-type dog who sat peacefully but breathing loudly on his lap wearing a Seahawks colored cast on her injured leg.



“She had been stuffed in box and thrown from a truck. She had life-threatening injuries,” said Laura Henderson, executive director Of Pasado’s Safe Haven.



A good Samaritan called 911 after finding Meadow on June 9 near State Route 522 in unincorporated Snohomish County between Maltby and Woodinville.



Pasado’s is offering a $2,500 reward to anyone who can help identify and convict the tall white man with a mustache and camouflage pants who tossed her from a black pickup truck.



Meadow has hundreds of scars and her injuries are consistent with being a bait dog used in dog fighting.



"They're put into a ring with a dog that will be fighting so that that dog can attack the bait dog and practice being aggressive and fighting,” said Henderson.



Meadow has significant dog bite wounds to both front legs and multiple bite wounds over her body. She was found covered with a dark purple substance known as Wound-Kote, often used to treat wounds on livestock.



She's a sweet girl and, despite all she has been through, is very forgiving.



"Don't be silent. Be a hero,” said former Seahawks safety Jordan Babineaux, who also participated in the PSA along with MMA legend Matt Hume.



"If you suspect dog fighting is happening in your neighborhood or you know someone that's involved in animal abuse, do something about it,” said Babineaux.



They're hoping their message hits home that, unlike athletes, dogs don’t have a choice to get into the ring.



“It's insane to me because dogs, they should be your best friend. They're just full of love. I have one of my own and so whoever did that just definitely (need to) be caught, definitely be put in jail,” said Wright.



If you have any information about dog fighting rings or you can help solve Meadow’s case, call the Pasado’s Safe Haven tip line at (206) 300-7218 or go to www.pasadosafehaven.org.