The pit bull that saved a teenager from being raped in a Brooklyn park last month is getting a hero’s thank you from local animal enthusiasts.
Maya Fairweather, 18, was talking the pooch, Apollo, her boyfriend’s playful new puppy, for a walk in the Red Hook Recreation park Nov. 28 around 10 p.m. when a man grabbed her jacket, pushed her to the ground and tried to pull off her pants.
The 5-month-old Apollo then chomped so hard on the attacker’s leg that the man had to struggle to shake him off and eventually fled.
The Nassau County SPCA and community leaders will honor Apollo in an open-to-the-public ceremony at the Hotel Pennsylvania on Seventh Avenue near 33rd Street in Manhattan at about 2 p.m. Thursday.
Apollo will receive a spa treatment, giant doggie cake, limo service service to and from the event and other presents from animal-rights advocate Jean Shafiroff.
Shafiroff said she is excited to take part in the ceremony honoring Apollo, whose breed often gets a bad rap.
“Unfortunately, pit bulls are terribly discriminated against,” she said. “This dog acted in self-defense, and he saved this young girl from being sexually assaulted. That in my mind is a hero dog. We want to celebrate this dog.”
“People have to know that these dogs should be treated like any other dog,” she added.