Do Pitbull Terriers get a bad rap?

Pitbull
saves 2 women

(Barangay
Lapasan Philippines)

The children in the Fronteras household refer to their dog as "kuya" ("big
brother"), and he certainly proved it on the day he sacrificed his life to
protect the family.



On Monday, Feb. 12 at around 2 p.m., "Chief", an American Pit Bull
Terrier, rescued Liberata la Victoria, 87, and her granddaughter Maria Victoria
Fronteras from a deadly cobra which had entered their house through an opening
in the kitchen.



Liberata la Victoria and Chief had been watching TV on the sofa when suddenly
Chief jumped up and alerted her to the presence of a cobra less than 10 feet
away. Maria Victoria rushed in and pulled her grandmother into a separate room,
hoping the snake would leave.



But when Maria Victoria later emerged from the room, she was terrified to find
the cobra poised about two feet away. Equally startled, the cobra expanded its
hood and appeared to be spitting venom as it prepared to strike.



"The snake was in front of us, maneuvering a deadly attack," says
Maria Victoria. "I screamed out loud to ask for help." 1



That's when from "out of nowhere", Chief dashed between the cobra and
the two women, using himself as a shield against the cobra's attacks. Chief
then seized the cobra by the neck and slammed it into the floor, killing it.



But for Chief it was a Pyrrhic victory. In the struggle, he sustained a fatal
bite to the jaw, and moments later he began gasping for breath and collapsed.

The family sought the help of a
veterinarian, but they were told that nothing could be done. According to the
vet, the bite was too close to Chief's brain, and the venom had already spread.
Maria Victoria called her husband Marlone who, stunned by the news, rushed home
immediately.



Ian de la Rama, a friend of the family, says it was less
than 30 minutes from the time Chief had been bitten that he "went wobbly
and lost control of his organs," 2 urinating and defecating
uncontrollably. Yet he still kept clinging to life.



It wasn't until Marlone arrived that Chief finally let
go.



Ian de la Rama describes, "Chief gave his two deep
breaths and died. He was fighting and saving his last ounces of breath to see a
glimpse of his master for the last two seconds of his life."



Ian adds that the last thing Chief did as he gazed up at
Marlone was wag his tail.