My Special Canine Hero…Thor the Pit Bull

Most of us working in rescue know that when dealing with the hot topic of Pit Bulls, education and personal experiences are key. I won’t ramble on about the facts and figures on dog bites, which pokes holes in the debate of banning Pit Bulls in communities, or go on about “punish the deed not the breed.”

Instead, I’d like to let you know that a new hero in my life is a dog. A Pit Bull, in fact. Meet Thor, a Pit Bull that hails from Elkhart, Indiana. He alerted his family in the middle of the night that their home was burning. He even went so far as to try to pull the baby’s bassinet to the door during the blaze.

The Humane Society of Elkhart County, the nearest animal shelter to this family, gave Thor a badge of honor complete with a hero’s welcome and plenty of goodies to assist the family in their transition since they lost everything in the fire. His hero status was well covered by our local media. At first, it was funny to see that some of the reporters were cautious when meeting Thor, but by the end of the visit they had all fallen in love with this happy-go-lucky hero.

The most moving part of the event was when his owner, Kemper Hunter, introduced his family, which included his daughter Shelby and his “son,” Thor. Kemper even stated he owes his life to Thor.

If you would like to honor Thor or give a donation to this family in need, please contact the Red Cross of Elkhart County at 574-293-6519.

Wags to my hometown hero! Who is yours?

Stephanie Krol can be best described as a mixed breed of a publicist and newshound in the pet industry. As a proud “pet parent” of three rescues, Stephanie spreads the word of animal welfare every chance she gets. She is the board president of the Humane Society of Elkhart County and serves as a spokeswoman for the animal shelter. For more information, please contact Stephanie at stephanie@skprmedia.com or www.skprmedia.com.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Stephanie Krol