Pit bulls are a breed that has received a lot of flack from the media over the years. Unfortunately, stories of pit bulls who have attacked children or adults have been doing the rounds for years now- and it only takes one story to cement somebody’s opinion of a pit bull.
Pit bulls are just one of a number of different breeds who have been branded as dangerous due to their track record – and while many people see this as a reason to fear certain types of dogs, the real question we should be asking ourselves is why these breeds are always the ones who attack.
The saying “it’s not the dog, it’s the owner,” might be overused, but it certainly rings true for pit bulls. These dogs are incredibly sweet in nature and really don’t have a violent bone in their body.
But as many are used for dogfighting, brought up in terrible conditions, and are subjected to a life of neglect and abuse, can we really blame them for being violent?
No matter what the breed, a dog who is brought up in a loving home with owners who care for them is incredibly unlikely to ever become violent. And we think that this next story proves just that, as a ‘frightening’ pit bull who was branded ‘bad’ actually ended up saving a woman’s life.
The hero behind this story is called Simba, a pit bull from Sweden who lives in an apartment with his owner, Arjanit Mehana.
Despite Simba being sweet and friendly to everybody he met, many people in Arjanit’s block were nervous to be around him and would avoid him.
There was one elderly woman in an apartment on the floor below who was so frightened of the pup that she wouldn’t go anywhere near him.
“He always tried to greet her, but she called him mean and looked at him with fear,” Arjanit told The Dodo. “She never liked him because he was a ‘bad’ breed.”
Luckily, Simba didn’t seem to pick up on the fact that most people were avoiding him, and he continued to be friendly to everyone he met.
Returning from a walk one day, Simba began acting strangely as he and Arjanit passed his their elderly neighbor’s apartment.
He lay down on the woman’s doorstep and refused to leave, even with his owner’s gentle encouragement.
“He stopped,” Arjanit said. “He began to bark and run to the door where the neighbor lives. I pulled the leash but he refused to come.”
Arjanit stooped down to pick up Simba, and it was then that he heard a faint noise coming from inside the apartment.
It was the weak voice of his neighbor- and she was calling for help.
“I heard a weak voice shout for help,” Arjanit said. “She said, ‘Please don’t go.’”
Thankfully, Arjanit discovered that the door was unlocked, so he was able to go and check the situation out. Opening the door, he found that his neighbor had collapsed on the floor and was unable to move.
The woman had broken her hip, and heartbreakingly, she had been on the floor for over two days without being able to get help.
It was painful to think about what would have happened if Simba – the dog that his neighbor had been so afraid of – hadn’t have alerted his owner to the problem.
Arjanit called for an ambulance and as he and his heroic pup waited with the lady, her whole view of Simba seemed to change.
“She said, ‘Thank you for hearing me.’ I thought she was talking to me at first,” Arjanit recalled. “But then she said, ‘No, not you — the nice doggie.’”
Simba’s impressive hearing has not only saved the woman’s life, but also transformed her opinion of him! He’s no longer a ‘bad’ or ‘scary’ dog – not that he ever was.
And that wasn’t the only opinion that had changed! Arjanit’s neighbors decided to reward Simba’s amazing life-saving skills with treats and gifts – which he certainly deserves!
Arjanit hopes that stories like his will help to change the world’s perception of ‘dangerous’ dog breeds. He told The Dodo:
“I know Simba is a wonderful dog, but I hope this event will make people see bully breeds differently. We, as human beings, must deserve their loyalty and love.”
We couldn’t agree more! What a little hero.
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