It's not every day that you get the chance to meet a real-life hero. Recently, I had the opportunity to meet a four-legged variety of hero, named Hero, when I was asked to photograph a lovely couple who call him their own, though this particular hero may not be the first you'd expect to be one. Hero is a pitbull and pitbulls are typically thought of as vicious, man-eating dogs. They are what everyone thinks of anytime you hear of a dog attack on the news. This pitbull, however, is doing his best to change that stereotype.

Hero's story is a bit of a Cinderella story and it starts out with a hard life living on the streets in a rough part of town just outside of Atlanta, GA as a stray dog. The large brown and white spotted dog would wander the streets while trying to survive on his own. A homeless lady would sometimes feed him and let him sleep with her in an old abandoned mill. It's unknown what sort of abuse Hero endured from others during this time period, but old scars that would later be revealed tell a story. Through all of this, Hero still saw the good in people and it didn't stop him from stepping in when he saw a woman in need.

It was probably a day like any other day in Hero's life, but this one would change it forever. A domestic disturbance was called in and police went to the scene of a man and a woman in an argument. It was dispersed, but later the man returned with a knife and began his attack on the woman again. About this time, Hero was passing by. He saw the threat this man was attacking the woman and amidst the yelling and screams, Hero put himself in harm's way to fight off the man. In the process Hero was stabbed several times as he ultimately saved the woman's life nearly giving his own to defend.

When police arrived again, Hero lay bleeding out in the street with five stab wounds to his neck. Officer Seeley and his partner took one look at the dog and knew they had to act fast. Seeley scooped the dog up and rushed him to the ER vet where he went into surgery. While on the table, Hero flat-lined and died twice, but the skilled vets were able to bring him back. Once Hero was stable, the vets ran further tests on him to find out what else might be wrong in addition to the obvious knife wounds. X-rays revealed he had sustained old injuries to both of his back legs. Both femurs had been broken at some point in his life. Both of his back patella were torn. His left shoulder looked like it had been yanked out of socket by someone and his cranium showed severe trauma likely from abuse from repeatedly being hit in the head. All of these were old injuries in addition to having severe heartworms, severe nutrient deficiencies with worn teeth that resemble nubs more than teeth, bad osteoarthritis and joint damage.

With no owners, Hero was facing a long road to recovery. Carla from Fighting for the Bullys heard about the heroic pitbull and stepped up, helping to raise the money for the dog's medical expenses during his recovery. When he was finally stable enough, she brought him up to Knoxville, TN where he was put up for adoption through the pitbull rescue and given the name Hero. The Simpson family had heard about Hero's story and when Sara saw that Hero was looking for a home, she and her husband knew that they simply had to make him a part of their family. At first their adoption efforts failed when difficulties getting their application submitted were encountered. Sara was discouraged and didn't think they would ever be able to get him. As fate would have it though, while getting new tires for their car, her husband David saw that the rescue organization was at a live pet adoption event at Petsmart. Upon meeting Sara and David, Carla loved them and it was at this event that the Simpson's were finally able to welcome Hero to their clan.

Sara and David also share their home with two other pitbull rescue dogs, in addition to Hero. All are spoiled rotten. Hero now enjoys a plush life with his own wagon so he can enjoy walks with the rest of the family since his legs don't work as well as they use to with all of his old injuries slowing him down. He's also got a special bed to sleep on that helps support his body so he can sleep more comfortably. Hero is now battling skin cancer from all of his many years of being exposed to the elements. Recurring spots are removed upon discovery and so far, he's doing good. Being an older dog, Sara and David do they best to shower Hero with as much love and care while they can and cherish every moment they share with each other. A huge fan of pitbulls and adopted dogs, Sara says:

"If I could say one thing about pitbulls it's this.. It is not in how they are raised. That's a false statement. No dog is inherently evil. In fact all dogs are inherently good. Their souls long for love, affection, attention, much like us. They are receptive to any love you can give. Rescue dogs in particular are incredible because the gratefulness shines through their eyes. You can feel it in their kisses and their nudges. Their cuddles after long days. And Hero. Hero is so special because he has seen the other side. And I can't help but think God gifted him to us, and told him to hold on, to be strong, because he had something so big waiting for him."