Kelly Halls - National Geographic Kids Chapters - Courageous Canine - And More True Stories of Amazing Animal Heroes

David drove to his mother’s house. She lived about an hour away, in Shirley, Massachusetts. David told her about Lilly. “Just meet her,” he said. “Then you can decide if you like her as much as I do.” Christine agreed to go meet Lilly.

Like David, Christine thought Lilly was beautiful. She was a little scared about walking her, though. Lilly is an American pit bull terrier (sounds like TER-ee-er), or pit bull for short. She weighs 70 pounds (32 kg). When she tugged at the leash, Christine could feel how strong she was. But Lilly seemed to understand Christine’s fear. She quickly settled down.

Before they took Lilly back inside the shelter, David went to his car. Penny’s dog biscuits were in the trunk. He wanted to share them with Lilly. When he popped the trunk open, Lilly jumped inside. She was ready to go home!

What are pit bulls?

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The first pit bulls were probably a cross between two kinds of dogs: the English bulldog and the Old English terrier. People in England created the breed about 200 years ago. The dogs were strong, smart, and loyal. They made excellent hunting and watch dogs. In America, farmers used pit bulls to help protect cattle and sheep from wild animals. In the early 1900s, some pit bulls even looked after children. This earned them a special nickname. They were called “nanny dogs.”

A few days later, David took Penny to the shelter to meet Lilly. The two dogs got along very well. “That was it,” David says. “No matter what, I knew we were adopting Lilly.”

David and his mom shared Lilly, but the dog spent most of her time at Christine’s house in Shirley. Some people told Christine she should be afraid of keeping a pit bull in her home. They thought all pit bulls were dangerous. They thought the dogs liked to attack people. Christine didn’t listen to them. She trusted her son.

David knew the dogs weren’t born bad. But some cruel owners force their pit bulls to fight other dogs. These fights are against the law. Sometimes the dogs are badly hurt. Sometimes it’s even worse. All of this made David sad.

Being forced to fight can make an animal mean, but kindness can sometimes make it better. Christine believed David when he said Lilly was a loving dog, and he was right. Lilly kept her company when she got lonely. In return, Christine cooked Lilly yummy meals. They went on lots of walks together. Lilly made many new friends as she and Christine walked through town.

Thanks to David and Christine, Lilly had a safe place to live. She had plenty of good food to eat. Best of all, she got lots and lots of love. David and his mom had given her a second chance at life. One day Lilly would return the favor.

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Lilly (top) and Penny (bottom) both like to hang out at the park. They’ve been friends ever since they met. ( photo credits 1.3)

Lilly the gentle pit bull and Christine lived a happy life together. David and Penny visited often to play. Sometimes Lilly and Christine went to Boston to see them. The police officer was proud of how his mother cared for Lilly. Then in May 2012, disaster struck.

One night Christine had trouble getting to sleep. So she decided to take Lilly for a late-night stroll. Together, they walked across the railroad tracks near their home.

They had crossed the tracks a thousand times before. But something went wrong that night. Christine suddenly felt dizzy. Lilly stood by her as she wobbled and fell. Then Christine blacked out. She didn’t see the bright light shining in the distance, but Lilly did. A freight train was rocketing their way.

The daring dog sprang into action. Lilly barked an urgent warning. Christine did not wake up. Lilly nipped and snapped at her owner’s arms and legs. Still nothing, as danger thundered on. Frantic, Lilly began to tug at Christine’s clothes. The train drew closer and closer.

Finally, the train engineer saw the dog and woman on the tracks. He tried to stop the heavy train, but it was going too fast. In the nick of time, Lilly dragged Christine off the tracks. Then the dog wrapped her body around the woman. The train hurtled by. The engineer felt a thump.

When the train rolled to a stop, he jumped to the ground. In a panic, he ran back to Lilly and Christine. He knew the train had hit something. “I thought they were dead,” he later said. They were not. In fact, Christine didn’t have a scratch on her. Lilly was not so lucky.

The engineer called for help. He looked down at the heroic pit bull. Her front right leg was covered in blood. It was badly hurt. She seemed unable to stand. But her golden eyes shined with courage. To his amazement, she was alert and friendly. She was also determined to stay close to Christine.

Police officers, firefighters, and paramedics (sounds like pare-uh-MED-iks) rushed to the scene of the accident. They phoned David. They told him his mother was all right, but Lilly was hurt. David had just started his evening shift in Boston. His boss knew how much he loved Lilly, though. “Go!” he told him. In a flash, David was on his way.

The paramedics wrapped Lilly’s injured leg in bandages. They tried to calm her. Many wounded dogs try to bite people who come near them. Lilly did not. So the paramedics petted and comforted her. They spoke to her softly. “It will be okay, girl,” they said. “Help is on the way.”

Animal control officers soon arrived to help Lilly. They wrapped her in a blanket and drove her to an emergency clinic for pets. But Lilly’s wounds were too serious for the clinic staff to fix. The train had nearly torn her right paw off. It was very, very bad. All the clinic doctors could do was wait for David. They knew he would have some hard choices to make.

When David pulled up to the animal clinic, he was afraid. He knew his mother was safe. But how badly hurt was Lilly? Would anyone be able to help her? Would she survive? Tears filled his eyes, just thinking about it. He blinked them away. He needed to focus on helping his dog.

“What should I do?” David asked the clinic doctors. But Lilly was the one that answered. When she heard David’s voice, she turned to look at him. She softly wagged her tail. Lilly wasn’t giving up. So David wouldn’t either.

“I saw the same beautiful eyes I saw when I adopted her,” David says. “I felt the same bond.”

The clinic doctors suggested David take Lilly to Angell (sounds like ANE-juhl) Animal Medical Center in Boston. They told him it was the best animal hospital in the state. If the doctors there couldn’t help Lilly, no one could.

Famous Pit Bulls

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In 1904, the Buster Brown company used a pit bull named Tige to sell shoes.

During World War I (1914–1918), the pit bull was used to represent America on posters and postcards.