The last of the dogs taken from suspended NFL star Michael Vick's dogfighting operation in Virginia have been sent on their way to a sanctuary.

Twenty-two of the 47 surviving pit bulls boarded a charter flight Wednesday to the Best Friends Animal Society, a no-kill sanctuary in Utah.

In all, eight rescue organizations took the animals. Some will remain at sanctuaries, others will be trained for possible adoption by the public. One of the 48 seized animals was euthanized for medical reasons.

Vick is serving a 23-month sentence for a dogfighting conspiracy. The suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback and three co-defendants raised pit bulls and trained them for fighting behind his Surry County home. Several dogs that did not perform well were killed.