Taking Action
She shouted after Sasha as she hurried up the stairs in an urgent whisper. She was adamantly opposed to waking the baby. But she saw something terrible as she peered out of her stairway window.
She ran to her bedroom without thinking about Sasha at all. She then noticed Sasha on her bed, taking her infant by the diaper and dragging her off with eagerness. She took immediate action.
A Mom's Life
It was yet another tiring evening for Latana Chai. With the arrival of her baby girl Masailah, she was now a proud mother of two - well, three if you counted Sasha, her eight-month-old pitbull.
Between a toddler, a baby, and a pup, Lantana had her hands full. It was something that became much more evident at bedtime. She prepared for any thrown toys or tantrums to come her way. But she definitely wasn’t ready for this.
Bedtime Struggles
Latana lived in a quiet Californian neighborhood with mostly good people. In fact, her relatives even lived next door. So it was no surprise that Latana was taken off guard when something out-of-the-norm happened.
She had just managed to settle her toddler into bed when baby Masailah started to act up. She kissed her goodnight, turned off the light, gently closed the door, and ran back upstairs to tend to her baby.
Final Task Of The Day
When she finally managed to get baby Masailah back to sleep again, she went downstairs to do the same to Sasha. Sasha had her own little wooden kennel in the garden that she slept in every night - and she loved it.
She was already waiting at the door to be let out when Latana reached her. She opened the door and locked it before heading upstairs to finally get some rest herself. But no restful night's sleep would await her.
Strange Behavior
Latana woke up at 2 am to Sasha barking and frantically scratching at the front door. Groggily, she threw on her dressing gown and tiptoed down to the door to see what was wrong. All the while being careful not to wake the girls.
Sasha was usually a very mild-mannered puppy, so this behavior was completely baffling to Latana, but she was too tired to be overly concerned.
Everything Seemed Fine
While she was unlocking the door, she looked around her garden at what could have upset Sasha or given her a fright. Everything seemed fine. She looked at Sasha, who was staring at her intently.
She opened the door, and a very muted smell wafted through the air. Lantana knew something smelled a little funny, but she was still half asleep. What happened next jolted her awake.
Something's Wrong
The minute Latana opened the door wide enough, Sasha burst through and ran like lightning straight past Latana. Confused and a little annoyed at her crazy behavior, Lantana whispered starkly after her.
But Sasha was already halfway up the stairs. It seemed like she was heading straight for baby Masailah’s room. Latana chased after her as quietly as she could, and then she saw something terrifying.
A Terrifying Sight
As confused, Latana paced up the stairs, calling for Sasha in a sharp agitated whisper. She looked out her stairwell window and witnessed something horrifying.
Chasing after Sasha was suddenly the last thing on her mind. She immediately ran to her bedroom, only to find that Sasha was one step ahead of her, doing something very unexpected.
Dog And Baby
Sasha had raced to Latana’s room, where baby Masailah was sleeping. She then jumped on the bed and carefully grabbed her by the diaper before gently dragging her off the bed.
Latana watched in shock. "She had already had my baby by the diaper and was dragging her off the bed," she stated. "I was like, 'Oh my gosh, what are you doing?'". But Sasha knew exactly what she was doing.
Panic And Action
A moment had passed before Latana sprung into action and grabbed her baby from Sasha’s mouth. Once she had her, Sasha darted to her other daughter's room and scratched the door.
Latana followed her. Although she was in a complete panic, she couldn’t help but be amazed at Sasha’s behavior. But she wasn’t finished surprising her yet.
Feeling Overwhelmed
Sasha barked as Latana took her other daughter into her arms and led them downstairs, out of the house. Latana had never felt so much panic and fear in her whole life.
Her heart was pounding as she praised the heavens and held her two girls outside of her house. Then she looked at Sasha and felt completely overwhelmed. What happened? What had Sasha done?
House On Fire
Latana’s neighbor's house, which belonged to her cousin, had caught on fire. The house was engulfed in blazing flames and black smoke that was spreading fast.
When she realized that her attic was about to catch fire, she raced to her room to grab her baby and run, but of course, Sasha was already one step ahead of her.
Dog To The Rescue
Sasha not only alerted Latana and her family to the flames, but she also went a step further and physically tried to rescue them all from the impending danger.
Latana credited Sasha for saving all their lives that day, claiming that if she hadn’t done what she did, no one would have noticed the fire until it was too late. And her neighbor?
A Lucky Escape
Luckily, her cousins weren’t inside the house, so there were no casualties. However, their house and Latana’s attic suffered damage from the flames before being put out by the firefighters, who quickly arrived at the scene.
Safe to say that since their house had indeed caught fire, they were truly lucky that Sasha was there to save them. And what’s more?
Heroic Pitbull!
As a pitbull, Sasha had single-’pawedly’ put those pitbull prejudices to bed with her incredible actions that day. She proved that Pitbulls aren’t the aggressive and violent dogs they always get credit for.
This heroic puppy was all the things we wish our dogs to be; loyal, caring, protective, and of course, a clever little cookie! Lantana was one lucky dog mama!
Not The Only Case
Sasha definitely deserves the title of Heroic Pitbull. But she isn’t the only one of her kind that has gone to great lengths to protect her owner.
There are stories of Pitbulls getting shot or stabbed while trying to protect their families. And even some of our heroic heroes chasing off intruders.
Susan Bandera
Susan was 60 at the time of her incident. She was a mother, and a grandmother who was greatly loved by her family. So it came as quite a shock when someone broke into her house and attempted to kill her.
The whole situation was made worse by the fact that Susan had a disability and couldn’t do what anyone else would in order to defend herself.
A Fateful Experience
A few years prior to the break-in, Susan had a run-in with the police. She was shot by one of the officers, and the bullets shattered her spine. It is believed that the officer acted appropriately. However, Susan still suffered from the injury.
She had been confined to a mobility chair since.
Living With Disabilities
The years ahead of her were no easy feat, as she sometimes had to rely on the help of others in certain tasks. But Susan didn’t give up. She still continued to live on her own and had her beloved pitbull Ceasar at her side.
Little did she know that she would end up needing Ceasar’s help above all else.
Tragic Experience
It was a Sunday night, and Susan had gone to sleep. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until about 4 am when someone broke into her home.
The person came into her bedroom and attempted to strangle her. Susan tried to fight against his grip, but in the end, there was only so much she could do on her own.
Pitbull To The Rescue!
Unexpectedly, Caesar ran into the room and went straight for the assailant. He bit and tore at the man in an attempt to force him to let go.
It worked. With blood gushing from his wounds, the man let Susan go and fled the scene. But he left a blood trail behind him.
What Happened Next?
The police were called, and Susan gave them an idea of who she thought the suspect was. The information she provided them as well as the blood trail, gave the officers a lead to follow.
But that wouldn’t be enough. The officers needed evidence before they could arrest the man Susan claimed to be the assailant.
Who Was The Culprit?
According to Susan, the man who attacked her was her former housemate, Peni Naiserelagi. Although the reason for the attack was still unknown at the time, she believed it was him
The police officers listened to everything she had to say and started conducting their investigation. With a blood trail leading down the road and a name, it wouldn’t take long to find their culprit.
Investigation
The investigation didn’t take long at all. The police had evidence that Susan had, indeed, been harmed by someone. The blood trail proved that her dog, Ceasar, had injured the assailant, and on that very day, police would be arresting him.
But things were a little scarier than Susan thought they were.
Living Quite Close
It turned out that Peni’s new residence wasn’t very far from where Susan had been living. By 10 pm that very evening the police officers were knocking on his door, and Peni was arrested for what he did to Susan.
Why did he do it, though? Why did he attempt to strangle a disabled woman in her sleep?
Reason For His Actions
It is believed that the reason Peni took such drastic actions had something to do with a passport dispute. However, the details of the dispute and the validity of the claims remain unclear.
Even if they were factual, though, no reason was good enough to break into a person’s home and attempt to murder them.
Charges
Peni was taken to the Parramatta Police Station, where he was charged with breaking and entering and assault with the intent to murder.
He applied for bail shortly after, and his bail hearing would be held the next day. But would it be granted? Would he be out on the streets again?
Bail Hearing
On Monday morning, his case was briefly heard in the Parramatta Local Court. But Peni didn’t arrive in the court or make a statement via a video link.
His bail had been denied, and he remained in custody until his court date, which was set for a few days later.
Interview With Her Daughter
Susan herself didn’t do any interviews after the incident, but her daughter did come forward to speak with the press.
I'm really proud of him. He's such a good boy, and I couldn't be more happy with how he reacted and just being there for her,' she said during one of the interviews.
What’s To Come?
Peni was set to appear in court on the 15th of October. The outcome of his trial is still unknown. However, yet another heroic pitbull did what needed to be done in order to save its owner, and in Susan’s case, she was extremely lucky to have one.
Both Sasha and Ceasar have proven that there is more to Pitbulls than meets the eye, and when the time comes to act, they are there to save their families.
In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.