Pit bulls are a very misunderstood breed of dog. They can be very sweet, affectionate, and above all else, brave.

This is the story of one very brave stray pit bull who didn’t hesitate to step in and help a woman in need.

He put his own health at risk and almost died because of it.

The responding police officers wouldn’t let that happen, however.

Saved a woman from a man attacking her. Survived 5 stab wounds. Now looking for a home! This is Hero! @6News pic.twitter.com/R3AvChtGWu

— Kelly Reinke (@KellyReinkeTV) July 29, 2016

Just another stray dog living in Knoxville, TN.

When the pit bull in this story heard a struggle coming from down the street, he ran to help, even though he didn’t know either person involved in the situation.

A woman was being attacked by a man with a knife and he jumped in to help. The brave dog put himself in-between the woman and her attacker, but unfortunately, this led to him being stabbed.

The assailant stabbed the poor dog 5 times, but thankfully, the pit bull’s actions allowed the woman to get to safety.

There are a couple of other heroes in this story as well. Sergeant Timothy Clay and Officer Daniel Seeley responded to the scene and knew if they didn’t get the dog medical care, he would die.

They also named the dog Hero after his brave actions that day.

“I don’t think we could have let that dog suffer and die. We felt like we needed to get that dog some help after what it had been through,” Officer Clay told WATE.

They knew the dog had no owner to pay for the medical costs, but they were not going to let a hero die.

“For those two officers to go to the extent they did to save him is very heroic and very awesome,” said Carla Welch, founder and director of Fighting for the Bullys Pit Bull Rescue in Tennessee.

When Welch heard about Hero’s story she raised the money needed to pay for the medical costs. The veterinarian also heavily discounted their fees for Hero’s care.

Hero was badly hurt and there was real concern that even with the medical care he was receiving that he was not going to make it.

“He collapsed several times,” said Welch. “His gums were white, which meant that almost all of his blood was gone.

He actually died on the operating table twice.

“He gets a checkup every day,” Welch said. “Hero has even gained 2 ½ pound and loves his treats and belly rubs. He’s such a good boy.”

As for why Hero sprung into action even though he didn’t know the people involved in the scenario, Welch says that pit bulls are just natural protectors like that.

“Most pit bulls are really protective,” said Welch. “They can sense danger and when someone gets loud, it perks their attention.”

Hero was later adopted into a loving a family by a woman named Sara Simpson.

“We are really blessed to be taking this baby and making him family,” Simpson wrote in a Facebook post. ‘Adjustments are going well.”

Stray pit bull named Hero adopted after saving woman from knife attack https://t.co/NGnuZwsQJb pic.twitter.com/qgE9uALZtr

— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) September 4, 2016

Now he has the loving family every hero deserves.

Learn more about this amazing Hero in the video below!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Inside Edition/Daily Mail