Brave in fire but 'scared of cats': Beloved pit bull who saved
girl from house inferno wins National Hero Dog Award
Diamond had to overcome fire, smoke and her breed's reputation
to become a hero.
The 15-month-old dog is a pit bull - the canine of choice in
dogfights, the dog most often cited in the news about vicious
attacks and the most abandoned and euthanized dog in the
country.
But on Wednesday, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals Los Angeles presented Diamond with their 29th annual
National Hero Dog award.
Fire survivors: Darryl Steen, showing the burns
on his back, is hugged by his daughter Darahne, 9, as her sister,
Sierra, 16, looks on with their hero pit bull, Diamond, which is
now nationally recognized.
Diamond's owner, Darryl Steen, and his two daughters were asleep
in their Hayward, California apartment on Oct. 24 when the dog
started barking. The apartment was on fire.
Mr Steen said: 'She means everything to me. If it hadn't been
for this dog, me and my girls wouldn't be alive'.
Steen grabbed his 9-year-old daughter Darahne and dropped her to
safety out of a second story window. He said he couldn't find his
16-year-old daughter, Sierra, who was hiding under a mattress in
her father's room.
Diamond had found her; firefighters spotted the gray-and-white
pit bull on the mattress shielding Sierra, Mr Steen said.
Mr Steen and Sierra were hospitalized for weeks with burns, and
had to have skin grafts.
Diamond spent six weeks at a pet hospital, being treated for
burns and smoke inhalation.
Good girl: After saving Sierra's life in a
fire, Diamond the pit bull wins National Hero Dog Award from the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Los
Angeles
The bill was over $5,500, but people were so generous and there
were so many donations, some money had to be sent back, Mr Steen
said.
The 15-month-old pit bull had been with the Steen family about a
year before the fire, Mr Steen said. She was protective of his
girls, but her allegiance had never been tested.
Mr Steen and his daughters are living with his sister in
Hayward, and Diamond is staying with their other relatives because
they haven't been able to find an affordable apartment that will
take Diamond.
Some people worry that she weighs nearly 50 pounds and others
are concerned about her breed, he said.
But Mr Steen, who will be able to return to his job at a
warehouse in June, won't give Diamond up, so he keeps looking.
He hopes the award helps the apartment search: 'Hopefully it
will, and I'll be able to get a decent place with my dog.
With her title, Diamond gets a plaque, dog food for a year, air
fare to and from Los Angeles and hotel accommodations for her and
her family.
The spcaLA for 29 years has been recognizing the heroic efforts
of a dog that is not formally trained for rescue or law
enforcement.
But for all her heroics, Diamond isn't without an Achilles'
heel.
Mr Steen said: 'She likes the dog park and playing with me and
the girls. But she doesn't like cats. She is scared of cats'.
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