On November 22, DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks, releases Hero Stories, a collection of 78 stories depicting individuals, and in several instances pets, who placed their life at risk to save the life of an innocent person or pet under attack by a pit bull.
The collection stretches back to 1985 and involves 99 heroes. The stories unfold across 30 U.S. states and eight countries including: Australia, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, England, New Zealand and Wales.
The collection is divided into three parts:
1.) Persons recognized as heroes by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission
2.) Persons recognized as heroes by organizations and municipalities
3.) Persons recognized as heroes by the DogsBite.org community.
Many of these heroes express similar responses after receiving recognition, such as Randall McConnell, who said after rescuing Guy Clairoux, 39, from three attacking pit bulls: "Maybe we all have something to do in life, a purpose," McConnell said. "Maybe that was mine."
Some of the stories boggle the mind, such as when 16-year old Thomas Moehler* burst through his front door to rescue Mark Stanberg, 10, being mauled by a pit bull. At the time, Moehler had a cast on one of his arms; he used it as a weapon to pound the dog and free his friend. In the process, he re-broke his arm.
The heroic acts of 23-year old Katie Juneau, who suffers from cerebral palsy, but still managed to pull a pit bull off of a child, evokes the startling capabilities of human beings when faced with a life-threatening situation.
Other stories ignite shudders, such as when Deputy Joe Auckerman arrived to a scene with a pit bull on top of a young girl "shaking her violently." A portion of the cable unsuccessfully used to restrain the dog was wrapped around the girl's neck and torso as well.
Or, when letter carrier Michael Redice came upon 8-year old Roddie Dumas Jr. being torn apart by his father's four vicious pit bulls. Roddie did not survive his injuries. During the criminal trial, Redice broke down on the witness stand when he described how he tried to save the boy.
The Hero Stories collection is available at: http://blog.dogsbite.org.
