I'm Not So Sure 'Hero' Is The Right Word Here...

A hero Wisconsin mother-of-two died eight days after suffering severe injuries when she saved her four-year-old son from being brutally attacked by the family's pitbull.

Heather Pingel, 35, from Bowler, suffered kidney failure, lung damage and both of her arms had to be amputated after the pitbull viciously attacked her and her son, Damian, on December 8.

...and I don't just mean that it should be 'heroine'.

'I just want people to know she died a hero,' Shannon Pingel, Heather's sister, said. 'I hate that this happened, but I'm thankful she saved my nephew ... she is the best mom. She did everything for her babies.'

Everything except ensure that they were safe from their parents' own killer animal, you mean? But maybe it was one of those 'without warning signs' attacks that pitbulls are so prone to? 

The family dog had shown signs of aggression before, the Sheriff's Office said.

But Shannon said a prior incident had happened more than six years ago and the attack was not directed towards a child.

Ah. Maybe not.  

She added her sister feared the dog would be killed if they'd taken it to a shelter.

Wait, what? 

'She was worried he would get killed if taken to a shelter. He wasn't a scary, aggressive animal. We all were around him, which is why this is all so unbelievable,' Shannon said.

Sadly, it isn't. There's clearly something about these vicious mutts that means owners are not only stupid enough to want one in the first place, they are also stupid enough to value their wretched lives over their own. 

I#m not just talkinh about the Yanks, either; we have these people over here too.