A positive pit bull terrier story.....

Todays Daily Times published a heartwarming story of a dog who alerted his owner to fire,waking her up & allowing her to rouse others in the motel complex in which they reside.What kind of dog?A pit bull!!!!
We are so accustomed to hearing only the negative stories about this breed that it is suprising to most of us to hear that they arent all the raving demon-hounds they are portrayed as too often.I have personally owned two pit bull terriers,and let me tell you firsthand that while they are not trouble free,they excel as loving companions and guard dogs if treated and trained properly.I raised one from a sickly pup-she was the runt of the litter and wasnt expected to live,and she survived infancy to become a beautiful,rambuctious dog who loved "her humans" unconditionally until she died at the age of seven due to an unexpected seizure.As a runt,she was rejected by her mother and her fathers owner nursed her to health with hand/bottle feedings until she was robust enough for me to take her home with me.She had alot of health problems,and since we never expected her to make it,I was pleased with the 7 years I had with her-she was like a baby to me.
My male pit came to me as an abused 3 year old,and while he had some passive aggressive issues,he was not a mean dog at all-despite being restricted to a cage by his previous owner.As a single woman living in a sketchy neighborhood some years ago,he was better than Brinks when it came to security.A quiet,serious dog,he NEVER barked unless he had a reason to...so when he did you knew something was hinky.I lived in an apartment for months with this dog and none of the other tenants even realized I HAD a dog upstairs because he was so calm!I am sure they saw me walking him,but until one of the neighbors had a "close encounter" they were oblivious to a dog in the building.My downstairs neighbor happened to get a piece of my mail one day and while I was at work,he decided to bring it upstairs and slip it into my storm door.The minute he opened it,he said that my dog was all over the glass,barking and growling ferociously,and trying like hell to get at him.Needless to say,he fled down the stairs and I didnt get my mail until I pulled into the driveway,at which time my neighbor was incredulous at how well-trained my boy was!This man had lived directly below us for months and never had an inkling there was a dog,let alone such a large one,above him!That was the result of great training and alot of love!
Unfortunately,I was unable to keep him when I moved in with my present husband-he had the better apartment but it did not allow pets-period!Luckily my father was able to "adopt" him and he is still living happily living there at the ripe old age of ten!He has last a tooth or two and getting gray around the muzzle,but he is still the strong silent type.
The hero in todays story,Sadie May,lives with her owner at the Anchorage Motel-more commonly known as the "Owl" on Route 13 near Parksley,Va.I grew up in Accomack county and when I was a kid,the adjoining "Owl Restaurant" was a pretty decent eatery-today it is a Mexican restaurant I believe,and the motel has become a residence hotel-renting units short-term by the week or month,mostly to migrant laborers.
Had Sadie May not woken her owner,Amanda Bowden,this fire could have had deadly consequences.It IS an old structure and no doubt the fire would have spread rapidly,trapping residents as they slept.Thanks to a stellar pit bull and the work of several Accomack County fire stations,the fire was controlled and residents were able to come back to the evacuated motel shortly after.Bloxom,Parksley,Atlantic & Tasley(holla!Tasley people!) fire depts. responded.
Remember this story the next time you read the inevitable negative pit bull story-ANY dog,regardless of breed,is only as good or bad as their owner!