Pit bulls have a bad reputation. If you hear about them in the news, it’s usually because something bad has happened. But this time, something great has happened!
Very early in the morning on Thursday April 13th, a pit bull woke up her family because their house was on fire. She whimpered and whined until all three family members woke up and evacuated the house.
Local officials believe that the fire started in the basement. The home’s hot water heater or furnace seems to have ignited a pile of clothing. The basement took the worst fire damage, but the first floor suffered a lot of smoke and heat damage. At the moment, the home is uninhabitable.
The Red Cross has made arrangements for the residents — I hope they included the hero of the day in those arrangements!
You can read the original story from The Flint Journal here.
It’s sad to say, but a fellow pit bull lover in Flint says that this is the first piece of good press that pit bulls have received in the area in five years. I hope that’s an exaggeration and not the sad truth.
I have been very fortunate in that all the pit bulls I have known have been sweet, loving dogs. It is irresponsible pet owners who make them into monsters through abuse and neglect; with proper care, training, and love, pit bulls can be wonderful family members!
And lots of pit bulls and pit mixes have been rescued from bad situations, rehabilitated by dedicated shelter staff and loving foster homes, and are ready for adoption! You can start searching for pets in your area at Petfinder — search by breed if you have a specific type of dog you want or search by area and see all the homeless animals near you. Who knows… the dog you adopt today may just save your life tomorrow!