A pit bull rescued just hours before it was set to be euthanized saved his new owner's 4-year-old son just days later, according to reports.
TaterTot began to bark and whimper in the middle of the night as he ran between Christi Smith and her child, Peyton Anderson, alerting the mother that something was wrong, KMSP-TV noted in a news segment. When Smith checked on Peyton, the boy was incoherent and barely breathing.
The mother rushed Peyton to the emergency room, where doctors determined the boy's blood sugar levels had crashed to a dangerous low. Veterinarian Isis Sanchez told the outlet that the dog's keen sense of smell likely detected the boys' shift in body chemistry.
"He is Peyton's guardian angel," the mother told the Pioneer Press.
Smith has experience with pit bull rescues as a foster-dog mom, and she had intended to find TaterTot a permanent owner. Still, she feared that TaterTot would prove too rambunctious for her mellow home in the interim, the Pioneer Press reports. Her concerns were dispelled on the fourth night, when the pooch turned into a lifesaver.
Doctors in the ER were able to stabilize Peyton but have yet to determine exactly what caused his glucose levels to plummet, according to the report. In the meantime, Peyton has an appointment with a neurologist, and TaterTot is no longer waiting for a home.
"I am never going to let this dog go," the mother told the paper. "I owe him for the rest of his life."
Pit bulls have been making news for performing heroic deeds. Just last week, a pit bull suffered severe burns while barking to awaken and save a family of four about to be engulfed in a Tallahassee, Fla., house fire. Additionally, the American Humane Association recently named a pit bull its 2013 American Hero Dog for her work as a therapy dog for children.