Apollo the pit bull is being honored as a hero after preventing a sexual assault against his owner.
According to AM New York, Maya Fairweather was walking the pit bull named Apollo at a local park, when she let him off the leash to go play. Upon doing so, a man came from behind her, knocked her down, and tried to sexually assault her. Apollo apparently came out of nowhere and bit the man on the thigh, forcing the currently at-large perp to flee.
“I was on the ground when Apollo came back. I didn’t think he would do anything because he is so friendly,” Fairweather said.
Apollo received a hero’s celebration for preventing the assault. Gary Rogers of the Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals sponsored an event for his heroics. His co-owners were picked up in a limo, and at the Pennsylvania Hotel, Apollo was showered with toys, treats, and cake to show what a good boy he was.
It’s a shame because pit bulls have developed an unfairly bad rap for being violent predators – when in reality, they’re just like fellow doggos who need love. Apollo did bite the assailant, but to protect his owner; that makes all the difference.
I’m from Canada and foolishly, certain provinces have banned pit bulls altogether. Ontario introduced legislation which passed, banning pit bulls back in 2005. Starting this month, Montreal enacted a ban on all pit bulls. The new law means pit bulls have to muzzled, on a short least or be owned by an adult. No new pit bulls are allowed after September 27 of next year. The bans were made to prevent people from getting bitten or attacked. When in reality, those cases are isolated. Not all pit bulls are aggressively violent.
“There are no bad pit bulls, only bad owners,” said Jean Shafiroff, an animal advocate who sponsored the event and paid for the limo ride.
👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏
He’s a hero.
[Image / Charles Eckert] [AM New York]
