Tulsa, Oklahoma

From Tulsa’s KOTV.com of July 22, 2007

Man Saves Neighbor From Vicious Dog Attack

A Tulsa man will be honored this week for saving another man's life. Back in April, Michael Cook came to the rescue when a pitbull attacked his neighbor. The News On 6’s Chris Wright reports Cook will receive the Citizen Appreciation Award from Tulsa police on Tuesday, an honor his neighbor says he more than deserves.

Marvin Battle walks with a cane these days, but says considering what happen to him on April 25th, he can live with the limp.

"I can't bend my leg. I have to go through physical therapy,” said Battle. “I've been on a lot of pain medications. I have panic attacks and I have nightmares."

Those nightmares stem from a vicious pitbull attack. Cook was walking his 6-year-old Chow Chow, Xena, and his 2-year-old Pomeranian, Jazzy, when he says the pitbull came out of nowhere.

"I turned around to go back to the house, and the dog knocked me down,” Battle said. The pitbull killed the Pomeranian, injured the Chow, and then turned its attention to Battle.

"I'm fighting for my life here. If someone doesn't come help me or if this dog doesn't stop, I'm going to be killed. So all I'm thinking is saving my life,” Battle said.

Michael Cook heard all the commotion, grabbed his gun, and came outside. He says the only thing he'd ever shot at before was a target, and the margin for error was thin. Fortunately, the pitbull looked up for a split second, and Cook pulled the trigger.

"So I bent down to try and shoot the dog from the side. When I did, that's when he raised up, and I shot him in the head,” Cook said.

The pitbull was killed, and Battle, though injured severely, was alive. He says he owes his life to his neighbor, and the two, who did not know each other before the attack, have become friends.

"It was terrible. Had my neighbor Mike not come out and shot the dog, it would have killed me,” Battle said.

"I think we're becoming pretty good friends,” Cook said. “Turns out we have a lot more in common than I thought we did. Marvin's a good guy."

Cook spent a week in the hospital recovering from his injuries. No one knows exactly who owned the pitbull. Battle believes it belonged to his neighbors, who have several other pitbulls.

We talked to those neighbors Saturday, and they say the dog was not theirs.