Humane Society honors Lawrenceville dog for heroism
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -
The Humane Society of the United States honored a Gwinnett County dog for heroism on Tuesday. Titan, a 6-year-old pit bull belonging to John and Gloria Benton of Lawrenceville, is credited with saving Gloria's life.
The Lawrenceville jewelry store owner and his wife have owned Titan since he was a puppy.
"He is so special. And you just can't give him enough love. He loves to be loved on," said Gloria.
Gloria admits she wasn't thrilled by the idea of having a pit bull around the house when her son brought him home. She did not realize then that the dog would one day save her life.
Last July, John was heading to work and sent Titan back upstairs to sit with Gloria, who was recovering from back surgery. But Titan was agitated, running back and forth between the couple's bedroom and the front door, alerting John that something was wrong. John went back upstairs, and found Gloria had suffered an aneurysm and fractured her skull.
"What the doctor said, had it not been for this dog, if he had let me leave that house, she would have either bled to death or the aneurysm would have killed her. And it's a, like I said, we owe a whole lot to this little rascal. It's not about the breed but the way they are raised," said John.
That good deed earned Titan recognition as second runner up for the 5th Annual Dogs of Valor Awards.
"Gloria is a testament of being here just the amazing effort animals can make to save humans," said Jessica DuBois of the Humane Society of the United States.
Eight weeks ago, Titan came to the rescue again, waking john early one morning after Gloria took a tumble in the bathroom and fractured her hip.
"He thinks his purpose in life is to watch after his grandmother, Gloria," said John Benton.
"And to think I was mad at him when my son brought it home five years ago," said Gloria Benton.
Titan has become a celebrity in the neighborhood, and also received an invitation from actress Ellen DeGeneres to be on her talk show. Unfortunately, the Benton family could not make it.
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