Hero Pit Bull Stays By Owner In House Fire, Gets Kicked Out Of Town

When a dog remains loyal in the face of great danger, their bravery should be repaid in kind. So earlier this week when a pit bull stayed by her injured owner’s side during a house fire, one could rightly expect that she would be given some award or commendation for her actions.Instead, she was kicked out of her home and banned from returning.

From Hero to Heretic - One Pit Bull’s Journey

The story begins with a house fire breaking out in Landover Hills, Maryland, late Wednesday night. When the fire department arrived on the scene, the first thing they did was search the flaming building for survivors. Upon entering, they found a woman, April Newell, collapsed on the floor. However, the firemen were unable to reach her because her dog, Precious, was standing guard over her.In order to get the protective pit bull to back away from her owner long enough for the firefighters to get her on a stretcher, they had to startle her with a fire extinguisher. Once they got the woman outside, however, Precious was back to her old tricks, refusing to leave her injured owner’s side. And while everyone on the scene was greatly impressed with the depth of this dog’s loyalty, when the time came to April to the hospital, Precious fell victim to one of Prince George’s County’s more absurd laws - a ban on all “blocky headed dogs.”

Why Breed Specific Legislation Should Stop

Image via NBC Washington

So now Precious is in a shelter one county away and is not allowed to go back home because of this Breed Specific Legislation (or BSL). “My heart broke, it melted when I saw that,” said Sandra Hamorsky of the Maryland Dog Federation. After hearing about Precious’ story, Sandra hopes to overturn this county’s outdated law. “When it comes right down to it, a dog is a dog is a dog. And when you look at the video, you have a dog doing what any dog would do, and that’s protect its owner,” said Hamorsky.Until then, Precious will either need to stay with a family friend outside the county or in a shelter. As of now, Newell plans to pick up Precious and find a new place to live. If you want more stories like this, follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Interested in PetPlus? Try it now for two weeks free!

Source:

https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/12/02/dog-refuses-to-leave-injured-owners-side-after-house-fire/

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Two-Injured-in-Landover-Hills-House-Fire-359907371.html

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pit-bull-injured-owner-fire_565f41e0e4b079b2818cdd5f

Join our mailing list