We asked in December if Vick is once again the face of the NFL. Sponsors are starting to reengage with Vick, with a Nissan dealership and sports gear company Unequal Technologies inking the star to deals (pre dog-fighting Vick had deals with Coca-Cola, Electronic Arts, Kraft and Nike).

FORBES: See Michael Vick Get Key To City Of Dallas

Much of this money is spent on star handlers and dog magazine advertising campaigns that resemble the "For Your Consideration" publicity that movie studios roll out amid Oscar season.

WSJ: Jason Gay: When Madison Square Garden Raises the Ruff

Earlier this month in Dublin, Ireland, the star of the Gaelic football league was exposed as a director of an illegal dog fighting ring.

NPR: Black Men and Dogs: Don't Believe Vick

Controversy continued to dog Dutt's rising fortunes in Bollywood when an audiotape surfaced in the media in 2001 where the star was allegedly in conversation with an underworld figure, Chotta Shakeel, based in Pakistan.

BBC: Dutt made his name with macho, gangster roles

Some top dogs travel the country in blinged-out RVs, comparable to a rock star's ride, though as Dean writes in "Show Dog, " Uno the beagle, upon winning Westminster, got his own seat on a commercial plane.

WSJ: Jason Gay: When Madison Square Garden Raises the Ruff