When Hero lunged at the man attacking the woman, the man started stabbing the dog.
Hero was lying in a pool of blood when police officers Timothy Clay and Daniel Seely arrived at the scene. They rushed him to the nearest animal hospital, where they gave him his appropriate name.
“I don’t think we could have let that dog suffer and die,” Sgt. Clay told WATE. “We felt like we needed to get that dog some help after what it had been through.”
Hero almost didn’t make it through surgery, but he managed to pull through.
Despite Hero’s ordeal, he recovered and is a very mellow and social dog, according to Carla Welch, founder and director of the Fighting for the Bullys rescue organization in Knoxville, Tenn.
“He has had a bum back leg and a bum front leg, but he gets around fine and he’s looking for a good friend,” she told WATE.
“He’s very laid back, very sweet,” she told WBIR. “He likes to talk to you. He’s going to make somebody a great companion. Hero will get his second chance. He will get a fantastic family, and he will finally get his happily ever after.”
They Were Looking out for a Hero
Welch was right. Two months later, Hero has been adopted by Sarah Simpson and her family, which includes two other dogs.
Simpson tried to apply to adopt Hero weeks ago, but had difficulty getting the online application to work. So she and her husband, David, went in person to meet the Hero they were looking for at a Petco adoption event last weekend.
“I’m really excited to give someone who’s never had a home, a home,” Simpson told WATE today. “And I say ‘someone’ because dogs to me are more than just dogs. They’re people. They’re your family.” Nice!
Welch said it’s bittersweet to say goodbye to Hero. “We’re bonded already, and I try not to, but with this boy you can’t help it. He’s very amazing,” she told WATE, wiping away what she said were tears of joy.
“He’s healthy and awesome now. He loves everybody. He’s just a great boy.”
Photo via Twitter
