Pit bulls can be heroes too

Thursday May 5, 2011



Darryl Steen kisses his pit bull terrier Diamond, winner of the SPCA's National Hero Dog Award. When her family's Hayward apartment caught fire last October, Diamond barked to wake Steen. He rushed to save his daughters, grabbing 9-year-old Darahne and dropping her out a second-story window. But he couldn't get through the smoke and flames to reach 16-year-old Sierra. Diamond not only wiggled through, but shielded the teenager beneath a mattress until firefighters rescued them both. The pooch spent six weeks at a veterinary hospital recovering from burns and smoke inhalation.