Pitbulls have always been badly represented.
They are perceived to be recklessly aggressive dogs who will attack anyone on sight. They are banned in several countries, most notably, the United Kingdom.
But are they really as bad as they were painted to be? Or are they as instinctively compassionate as other popular breeds?
Abby had an encounter that can challenge these assumptions.
In an Instagram post, she narrated how Bruce, her pitbull, made a life-saving discovery.
She named her dog after the alter ego of Batman. She’d never guess that at one point in his life, Bruce would become the hero he’s named after.
One morning, she noticed Bruce was acting “strange”.
It was a normal morning for Abby. She boiled some water for tea and put on an episode of Batman, in which she said something 28-year-olds usually do.
Then, she noted how Bruce started “emoting and whining.” She couldn’t tell what was bothering Bruce. All she knew is that he was being “very loud” at their front door.
Giving into Bruce’s reactions, she went with him to investigate.
“Bruce sat at the front door whining and sniffing, which I thought weird and annoying, as he usually goes out back.” She said in her Instagram post. “The whines became more urgent so I got up with a huff and went to take him for a walk out front.”
Then, as she opened the front door, Bruce took off immediately to the right side of their house. This area has a small pond and that’s where Bruce was headed.
Abby quickly followed Bruce.
“I followed him as quickly as I could only to find him at the edge of the pond.” She said in the post. That’s when she realized what’s bothering her dog.
In the water, she saw an elderly woman who was half-naked. Abby tied Bruce to a tree then headed into the water to help her.
The duo took the woman into their home.
She was shaking, scared, and confused. Abby made her feel a bit more comfortable by giving her something dry to wear and a cup of tea to heat her body.
They tried to ask her what happened but she was speaking a language that Abby couldn’t understand. Abby didn’t know her name, where she came from, or how she ended up in the pond.
She called 911 to help the old lady.
“I had called 911 and they responded very quickly.” She said in her post. “Soon I had 3 cops, 3 paramedics, and one very confused and lost woman wearing my robe in my living room.”
Fortunately, the cops also received a phone call about a missing elderly lady in the area. They put two and two together and contacted her family.
Tingnan ang post na ito sa Instagram
The family rushed over to Abby’s place and identified the woman. She was speaking in Amharic, an Ethiopian dialect. But even with this language barrier, Abby took the woman’s hand in hers when she extended it. A non-verbal connection that she hopes would help the woman.
Bruce was a hero that day.
“It was an eventful morning, and someone’s mom and grandmother did not freeze or drown in a pond because of my wonderful pitty bull Bruce.” She said proudly in her post.
When speaking to 11Alive, she said:
“I always kind of knew he was a hero because he’s my best friend and saves me in little ways every day. But yesterday he was a true superhero.”
Tingnan ang post na ito sa Instagram
Hopefully, with more stories such as these, people’s perception of the breed will change so that these dogs can be given the love they deserve.
Watch the video below to see how this pitbull lived up to his namesake by helping save a woman!
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