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Loading...Pit Bull Is Neighbor of the Year for Saving Woman’s Life
Most choices for “Neighbor of the Year” are human, but a pit bull named Titan received that honor at a ceremony held by the Vintage Pointe Neighborhood Association in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Titan saved Gloria Benton’s life when she fell and fractured her skull after suffering a brain aneurysm. Her husband John was preparing to leave for work. Had Titan not run up and down the stairs, urging John to follow him, Mrs. Benton would have been dead before her husband found her at the end of the day.
Other pit bulls are credited for heroic deeds. In September, a pit bull helped save an elderly woman who rolled down a hill and was stuck against a sewer grate. In a 2009 case, a neighbor’s pit bull saved a woman being beaten by her former partner. And fans of Pit Bull Sharky will be familiar with videos of the lovable pooch gently tolerating a menagerie of ducks, chickens, cats, guinea pigs and rabbits. (See video below.)
On the other hand, an 11-year-old boy in Surrey, B.C., was ripped apart by a pit bull, who would likely have killed him had a neighbor not attacked the dog with a baseball bat. In Yuba County, California, a pit bull bit a five-year-old and only backed off when shot by a neighbor. The owners said he was a family pet and had never shown any violent tendencies.
Pit bull supporters blame bad owners for the breed’s vicious reputation. The American Temperament Test Society gave them a higher temperament rating than most dogs in a 2011 study. However, the dogs were bred for bull- and bear-baiting as well as dog fights. They are a muscular, aggressive breed and need the right owners.
The Dog Breed Info site cautions:
The American Pit Bull Terrier can be willful with meek owners and needs a firm hand. They are generally okay with other pets if they are raised with them from puppy hood. They are very friendly, but not recommended for most people, because most people do not understand how to properly raise and treat a dog.
Pit bulls are known to be exceptionally loyal and loving with humans but aggressive toward other dogs. R.E.D (Rescue Every Dog) offers good advice on training and living with pit bulls and warns: “This is NOT a breed for everyone! The only way to repair the pit bull’s bad reputation is to keep them in the hands of responsible owners.”
Related Care2 Stories
Pit Bulls Have Better Temperament Than Average Dog
Read more: animal welfare, dog fights, dogs, pets, pit bull dogs, pit bulls, temperament
Photo from Texasgirly1979, video of her pit bull, Sharky
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Recent Comments from Causes
What a wonderful "feel good" story, thank you Dr. Duerr and staff for the wonderful work you do.
I say get cameras scumbags have taken advantage of animals for long enough.
Petition signed. Yet another benighted regime in a region that's full of them. As soon as most religions…
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217 comments
+ add your ownThere are no BAD breeds only Bad owners
Pit bulls have suffered so much because of evil people
ITS NOT THE BREED BAD OWNERS MAKE BAD DOGS OF ALL BREEDS BIG AND SMALL I LOVE PITTIES ALOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XOXOXOX :)
Titan est un véritable héros. Un chien ( pitt - bull ou autre )est dangereux quand il a un mauvais maître.
ty
it;s certain ppl that shoudl be banned from keeping pitbuls, dogs or any animals even!
Stories such as these just go to show that pit bulls are NOT inherently dangerous. Any dog can be dangerous if raised under certain circumstances and by dangerous owners. Shame on ANY state for taking a stand against this breed and categorizing them all as dangerous.
I believe it's all in how they are raised. I know of very friendly and kind pitbulls.
But I though all pit bulls were nothing but ferocious killing machines that should be banned as a breed?
Well I guess these heroes prove that those lies are WRONG!
QUOTE "They are very friendly, but not recommended for most people, because most people do not understand how to properly raise and treat a dog."
This is absolutely correct and applies to ALL Breeds of dogs, not just Pit Bulls.
I have never in my 62 years of life, met a naturally vicious or dangerous dog. With the very rare exception, where a dog is born with a mental abnormality or as suffered such an abnormality through a brain injury (in both cases the animal should be euthanized), any vicious or dangerous behavior can and must be laid firmly at the feet of BAD OWNERS.
These morons are the types who do not understand a dogs natural instincts and psychology, refuse to train and socialize the animal properly. They are the ones who allow their dog to wander at will, will not have the animal Spayed or Neutered, and often treat it as a form of weapon and abuse it.
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