Pit Bull Hero of the Week

Despite many of the changing attitudes toward pit bulls, they still take a beating in the headlines. Whether they're actually involved in an "attack," or the reporter can just make it sound like they were, "vicious pit bull" stories are used to sell papers. But for those of us who know and love these dogs for the loyal clowns they are, it's always nice to see a story where the pit bull is the hero.

Last Wednesday, Marie Wells was attacked by her boyfriend in their apartment. Princess, her five-year-old pit bull, intervened in the argument, taking the blows from the 12-inch serrated knife. "She did not attack him," Wells said. "She was in front of me trying to protect me."

The boyfriend has been charged with assault and battery, violating a restraining order and, appropriately, animal cruelty.

Princess ended up with three major stab wounds that nearly went down to the bone, including a six-inch laceration. She lost a lot of blood, but after several surgeries and a prescription for pain meds, she's on the mend. Thanks to Princess, Marie Wells was unharmed.

Earlier this month, another pit bull made headlines for saving a life. Daddy was a former fighting dog who had been dumped at a shelter in California. He was rescued last spring by Angel Parisa, who began to nurse him back to health and look for a forever home for him.

A couple weeks ago, when Parisa was walking Daddy, he started pulling her down a side street. It was uncharacteristic for the normally well-behaved boy, but soon Parisa noticed a woman in distress. The stranger had a heart condition and was on the brink of collapse. Thanks to Daddy, Parisa was able to help the woman get her medication and recover.

These positive pit bull moments aren't as rare as you may think if you only read the sensationalist headlines. David S. Greene over at Pet Connection recently posted a nice breakdown of the media bias against pit bulls. But if you pay attention, you'll find pit bull heroes all over the place — alerting their families to fire, protecting complete strangers, providing comfort as therapy dogs, saving the neighbor's chihuahua from a coyote, acting as service dogs, or a child's best friend ... The heroic pit bull stories are out there, and whether you find them in your local paper or your local neighborhood, these are the ones you should share to honor these deserving dogs.

Photo credit: stephpowell