After an assembly Friday at Cañon City High School, "I couldn't even get out of the high school," Smith said Monday. "I'm still getting congratulations, even today. I was like, 'Please let them forget over the weekend.'"
At the school's annual pride assembly, Smith, 15, was recognized by the Cañon City Police Department for saving a local man, Robert Rylander, from a pit bull attack last year. And until recently, the attack was something he forgot about himself.
But that might be because it was a split-second decision, something Smith said he thinks anyone would have done.
"I feel like, even though I got an award for it, anyone that was there would have done the same thing that I did, you know? It's just like, I know why I got the award, but anybody else could have gotten it, too, if they were in that situation," he said.
The situation unfolded in 2015, when Smith, a middle-schooler at the time, was about to go for a bike ride with his brother, Tyler Smith, and his friend, Cody Mayer. Their plan, originally, was to ride from the home of Smith's mom to his dad's home, kicking off right in front of a gate at the house.
But right as they got onto their bikes, Smith said, two pit bulls started to attack Rylander, who was walking his own two dogs in front of their house. After letting go of a leash, one of Rylander's dogs ran home.
"The pit bulls continued to try to attack the other dog," said Kelly Duncan, Animal Control officer for the police department. "So, Mr. Rylander picked up the other dog and the boys ushered them into the fence," leading him into the back yard.
But there was a problem: the pit bulls got into the fence, too.
"So, then he (Rylander) was cornered in the yard, trying to keep his dog up and away from the other dogs, and Kalob grabbed some folding chairs and started whaling on the dogs," Duncan said.
After that, Rylander handed his dog to Mayer, 15, who was standing on the sidewalk, an action that ultimately ended the attack. Duncan said the dogs stopped attacking Rylander after Mayer took the dog.
"I couldn't just stand there and watch," he said. "I couldn't imagine being mauled by dogs, you know? It was horrible."
In the meantime, Tyler Smith, 13, rushed into the house for help. His mom, Smith said, ended up calling Animal Control Services.
"And Mr. Rylander took his dog to the vet and took himself to the emergency room," Duncan said. "They had multiple injuries to him and the dog, but you know, the boys literally saved their lives."
Smith said he never got to meet Rylander, who rushed to the veterinarian and then the emergency room. But he said his timing was perfect to save Rylander's life.
"If two minutes had gone by, we would have been off to my dad's house," Smith said.
During the assembly, Smith pointed to Mayer when he was mentioned.
"I wanted to make sure he got a little bit of recognition, too," Smith said, adding not enough recognition goes around. Tyler Smith received an award last year.
"I knew I saved somebody's life, but policemen and firefighters do that all the time, too, and they don't get awards unless they get harmed," Smith said. "I'm a person. I just did something everyone should do."
(Canon City Daily Record - Aug 29, 2016)
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