Emerald Pellot graduated summa cum laude from New York University with a degree in Writing & Popular Culture. She worked as Senior Editor of College Candy for 2 years, covering feminism, popular culture, and college life before joining LittleThings in 2015. Based in New York City, Emerald covers a wide range of topics from human interest pieces to celebrity news.

One night last November, Maya Fairweather was walking through a New York City park with her 5-month-old pit bull puppy.


Suddenly, an attacker pushed her to the ground and attempted to pull her pants down.

Apollo, a friendly dog who loves humans, quickly became protective. He bit the attacker’s leg and the creep ran away. Apollo saved Maya from being assaulted or worse.

“If you’re good to your dog, your dog is good to you,” Maya told ABC7. “He was all happy, like he didn’t know what he did; he was just all happy, he wanted to run. I’ll always love Apollo.”

When the community got wind of Apollo’s heroism, they decided to shower him with rewards.


The Nassau County Sheriff’s office has offered to train him, a local pet store awarded him a $500 gift card, and the Nassau County SPCA rented Apollo a suite at the Hotel Pennsylvania in Manhattan, where he received gifts and a special doggy cake.

“Apollo is just an amazing example of a dog that can show us and teach us the value of pit bulls and other animals. They are not only companion dogs, they can save our lives,” said Jean Shafiroff, an animal-rights activist.

Many feel that the puppy’s lifesaving act proves that dogs really are man’s best friend.

“People have to realize that there’s such a loving bond between a dog and its owner, and people are its pack that they live with. They’ll risk their lives to take care of you,” said Gary Rogers of the Nassau County SPCA.

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