Posted on 04/15/2009 6:28:08 AM PDT by meandog
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The wandering 65-pound Pit Bull mix might have seemed menacing to some passerby, but one woman will always remember him as her "guardian angel."
The dog, which authorities think is lost and not a stray, successfully thwarted a robbery attack on a mother and her 2-year-old son, who were held at knifepoint Monday afternoon.
The Florida woman, who has been identified by authorities simply as "Angela," was leaving a playground with her toddler son in Port Charlotte when a man approached her in the parking lot with a knife and told her not to make any noise or sudden movements.
Angela didn't have to do either to protect herself and her child -- a dog mysteriously ran to the scene and charged the man, who quickly fled.
"I don't think the dog physically attacked the man, but he went at him and was showing signs of aggression, just baring his teeth and growling and barking. It was clear he was trying to defend this woman," Animal Control Lt. Brian Jones told Pet Pulse.
"I don't know what this man's intentions were, but it is very possible this dog saved her life."
The exceptional part of the story, Jones said, is that the dog had never met or even seen the people it quickly jumped to defend.
"You hear about family dogs protecting their owners, but this dog had nothing to do with this woman or her kid," Jones said. "He was like her guardian angel."
After the alleged thief ran away, Angela quickly placed her son, Jordan, in the car and tried to drive off. Before she could, though, the dog jumped into her backseat, waiting with her for the police and animal control officers to arrive at the scene.
The dog was transported to a local shelter and if his owners don't step forward within five days, Jones said, Angela and her family plan to adopt the savior she named "Angel."
Animal control officers and shelter workers believe Angel is lost, and not a stray, because of his good health, sturdy weight and mild temperament.
"It's funny, that someone's irresponsibility could have saved someone's life," Jones said of Angel's possible owners.
For Angela, it doesn't matter where the dog came from, just that he was there when she needed him most.
"I don't know what his [the thief's] intentions were -- I don't know why he did it, but I'm glad that -- we call him Angel -- I'm glad that Angel showed up because I don't know what would have happened," Angela told NBC2 News.
For a small town with a population of 46,452, animal control officers were kept busy Monday afternoon. Jones says they department also responded to a report about a boa constrictor in a church parking lot.
The snake found its way into a car engine and was able to be removed without being harmed. It took three people to move the massive, seemingly random placed snake.
"It's funny, because we aren't a big place," he said of the Gulf Coast town. "And we can go for four or five months without the media contacting us about a story. It's been a busy week."
Officers from the responding county sheriff's office canvased the area and were unable to locate the suspect described as being in his 20s, tall and dark haired.
Tell us what you think about "Stray Dog Saves Woman, Child Held at Knifepoint" below. Share your favorite videos by clicking on the ZootooTV tab. Send us your story ideas by e-mailing us at news@zootoo.com or by calling us at 877-777-4204.
Pet Pulse reporter Amy Lieberman and NBC-2.com contributed to this article.
Of course editing and taking my post out of context ranks right up there with the great journalism tactics ...
As well, there are many purchasers of firearms who leave them unattended around homes for children and friends of their children to "play" with and, boom, a tragedy happens...I can just imagine what your solution is going to be if such a tragic scenario occurred in your neighborhood?
That's what we said but he thought he could. And he did, until that one fateful day at dinner.
I don't understand your logic. I hope that you would be concerned about anyone that allows children to play with firearms unattended ...
I hope you will defend my right to use my gun to defend myself from an angry PB?
Course in Logic 101:
All fritters are frats, therefore all frats are fritters?
A large number of Black teenagers in Compton California are members of gangs. Devonte' is a teen from Compton, therefore Devonte' is a Black teenage gangztah? (When Devonte' really happens to be an teen in the talented and gifted program of his high school and who could be any race with the name of Devonte').
Timothy McVae was a digruntled Gulf War veteran who was attracted to violence to vent his frustration with government policies such as excessive taxations, therefore the Homeland Defense Dept. should especially be wary of veterans attending "tea parties" because they are right-wing extremists?
Does your post mean that you disagree with my statement that pit bulls are affected by their hormones? If so, just state that and stop with the distractions.
As I am with incompetent owners of powerful dog breeds and people who support ownership denial of these same breeds by people who ARE competent.
<< “The only person he ever bit was the paperboy who had hit him with a board”.
Of course that paper boy brought a board, went to where you had the dog chained/penned and started hitting the dog for no reason, right? >>
So you can absolutely positively guarantee it didn’t happen that way, ColdWater? I’m just guessing you weren’t there, but tell me if you were & witnessed it the way you believe it did...thanks!
hmmm. Do you support registration of the dogs and licensing of the owners? How about required training for the dog owners before they can get a license? Should dog owners be requrired to pass a mental compentency evaluation? How far would you go to ensure that only 'competent' people own these powerful assault dogs?
<< I don’t hate PBTs. I hate those that ignore the facts that Rotts and PBs cause about 70% of the dog-related human deaths each year. >>
Source? Thanks...
Ok. Since you obviously missed it, here it is for your benefit!
Google.
Yes, because it just isn't true...hormonal chemistry has nothing what so ever to do with their predisposition for acting like a dog. A neutered and spayed dog can be aggressive too, after all. So-called PBTs are, granted, powerful dogs and have a bite pressure and drive unequaled by other breeds but, like all dogs, they can and have been trained and socialized around people and other pets. Dogs share the lone distinction in the animal kingdom of having the longest association with humans. They have been likely domesticated for more than 30,000 years. They are used in police and military work, as service dogs for the blind and deaf, as therapy dogs for the sick and homebound, in search and rescue and as just pure good pets. If you don't like a so-called "Pitbull" or "Rotty" or "Chow" or any other kind of breed you deem is dangerous then don't own one...but don't support any drive that denies my right to own one.
Thanks for posting a positive thread about pit bulls...nice to get the other side of the story out there too!
Absolutely not! However, I do agree that bad owners should be held accountable for the actions of their dogs.
<< Google. >>
Nice non-specific answer... more specific please, as in website?
There you have it! Hormones do not affect how a dog behaves. I guess it doesn't affect how humans behave either!
I love Pit Bulls. They are so clownish and happy dogs. My next dogs will be a Pit and a Cocker. (I have a Golden/Lab/Collie and a Cocker/AussieCattleDog now.)
All dogs go to heaven.
Google 'which breed kills'
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