A pit bull was eating out of a trash can on April 9, 2015, when a woman who works at the Speranza Animal Rescue in Mechanicsburg, Pennysvania was called after someone spotted the dog. Once she reached the run down area where the dog was located, the woman then proceeded to follow it over course of the next 10 minutes, an encounter captured on a cell phone video than spans just under eight minutes.
Given the reputation of pit bulls being a menacing breed that’s often connected to the illegal sport of dog fighting, the woman appeared to be taking a chance by her actions. She periodically would crouch down near the pit bull, holding out her hand as a sing of friendship.
After the woman remains in a crouch, the pit bull begins to sniff her for the next minute and proceeds to calm down enough. After nearly another minute, the dog begins to playfully paw at the woman as its tail wagged, which allowed her to begin gently petting it.
The video, which was posted online the same day, has garnered more than 700,000 views, with most of the comments praising the woman for her courage in doing something that would be considered out of the ordinary with those in the general public. The few criticisms dealt with the camera operator, who apparently was unable to maintain a steady presence.
One note indicated that updates on the dog, named Daisy, were available on the shelter’s Facebook site.