A pit bull saved a child from being drowned by his own mother, only to be faced with being euthanized after an unbelievable ordeal.
A pit bull in Australia named Buddy is being hailed as a hero after saving a boy’s life. Incredibly, Buddy was being considered for euthanasia after the event, but tens of thousands of people petitioned to have his life spared.
More than 50,000 people added their name to the online campaign to save Buddy’s life after learning of his ordeal.
Buddy witnessed a 27-year old woman dragging her children into the Murray River in Moama, on the New South Wales-Victoria border in Australia, where she was attempting to drown them. Her children were 9 and 5.
Buddy intervened as she was attempting to drown the 9-year old boy. His 5-year old brother was found dead in the river days later.
It is not clear what the dog was doing away from his owners and by this river.
But luckily fate found the dog in the right place at the right time. Buddy jumped into the river and bit the mother, then dragged the boy out to save him.
The dog bit the mother to ward her off and get her away from the child. During the ordeal, Buddy wound up “biting” the child while holding him in his mouth and taking him to safety.
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Because the boy had to be treated for his bites at a local hospital, rangers seized the dog. Euthanasia was being considered.
But an online petition was launched by his owners pleading with the public to support Buddy’s safe return home. When the petition received more than 50,000 signatures, officials decided to microchip Buddy and release him back to his owner, Jess Smith.
Margot Stork, Murray River Council interim general manager, said she found it likely that Buddy was acting in defense of the boy.
She also said that The New South Wales Police would not be seeking to euthanize Buddy. She said that the rangers are passionate about animal welfare, and that they would continue working with the public to make sure local animals were properly registered and microchipped.
The young mother has been charged with counts of murder and attempted murder.
The boys’ grandparents, who had had custody of the children for 18 months prior, accused authorities of failing to properly act when the mother was released from prison.
The maternal grandfather supported the petition for Buddy’s life to be spared. He said, “I have one grandson left, because this brave dog took action.”
Since the tragic and horrifying event, Buddy has been microchipped and will be properly registered by his owner.
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