Duke, a pit bull, won the hearts of the entire neighborhood with a gesture that made him a hero.
Duke was taken from a dog shelter at the age of eight months and adopted by the McNally family in Montana. The parents love the outdoors, and they take their 5-year-old son, Robert, on lengthy excursions in the mountains whenever they have the chance. Duke enjoys going on hikes with his family and loves being in the woods and beside rivers.
Robert and Duke, the parents, headed for the mountains one day with the intention of arriving at a cabin before dusk. They made a brief pause to rest beside a woodland road as dusk approached. While Robert was playing close by, the two men were sitting in the shade of a tree when all of a sudden, they saw Duke leap full speed at Robert and knock him to the ground. The father of the child became alarmed and hurried to investigate. Duke was barking furiously, and Robert was laying on the ground sobbing.
The man saw that Duke was battling a rattlesnake once he recovered. Duke apparently noticed that Robert had the snake in his grasp and jumped to protect the youngster by forcing him to release the snake.
When Dad discovered Duke had saved the child’s life, he broke down in tears.
Duke was bitten by the snake after this episode, so the McNallys rushed him to the hospital. Doctors were able to save the dog since it didn’t seem like the snake could penetrate very far into Duke’s body.
Robert would have definitely been bitten by the snake and there would have been a very high chance of death if it weren’t for Duke. We are appreciative of Duke’s life for his valiant deed. He is aware of our deep affection for him, but going forward, our bond will grow even stronger.
The McNallys promised that while they would continue to hike in the mountains, they would definitely exercise greater caution and ensure that Robert stayed close to them.
One more pit bull demonstrates the amazing nature of this breed—one that adores its family and is willing to risk its life to keep them safe.
To correct the widespread misperception of this dog breed, we must advocate for good things more frequently.