It was a heartbreaking story when police busted an abusive dog-fighting ring that was being run out of former football star Michael Vick's compound in Virginia. Less than a year after the illegal operation was shut down, the dogs that were forced to fight to their death are on their way to recovery -- a remarkable feat considering that most dogs rescued from a fighting operation are put to death.

"We had to petition the prosecuting attorney to allow us to go in and even look at the dogs," explains Donna Reynolds, co-founder of Bad Rap, the organization that fought for the rescue of the 10 pit bulls. "So when he said yes, which was landmark, we then had to sit at home and wait to see if the judge would allow us to bring them home. We had a lot of sleepless nights wondering if they would let us do it. When he said yes, it was fantastic!"

Donna is convinced that with the right training and a lot of love, all of these dogs can be rehabilitated and go on to find happy homes. "What these dogs need more than anything," she says, "is structure, training, house manners, guidance, and coming to obedience classes. It gives them a sense of stability and it gives them a sense of confidence to have a routine they can trust."

After months of training and keeping the dogs in foster homes, Donna says they are all now ready for a better life. "Hopefully," she says, "now that this case has shown America what so-called 'fighting dogs' are like, we can take the word blood-thirsty and throw it in the trash. These are individual dogs -- these are pets -- who ended up in a horribly abusive situation, and they're proving to everyone that they deserve better. That they deserve to be evaluated as individuals and treated with compassion."

Rachael, who's beloved Isaboo is a pit bull, commends Donna for her work in giving these former fighting dogs a better life. "There are no more bad animals any more than there are bad people," Rachael says. "So many people give them a bad rap -- everybody deserves a second chance." To help the organization continue with their mission, Rachael surprises Donna with a $20,000 donation from Dad's Pet Care and a year's supply of Better Than Ears snacks.