It was love at first sight.

Lilly, a six-year-old female pit bull with a smooth brown coat and a white patch on the chest, had lived with a family with children and competed in weight pulling competitions before she got lost and ended up in the Animal Rescue League of Boston. Given Lilly’s breed and age, she had little hope of joining a new family. Fortunately, only one month after her stay in the shelter, a man walked into her life.

David Lanteigne is a police officer in Boston. It was his first day as a volunteer at the shelter. As he strolled past the kennels, a dog with warm golden eyes caught his attention. It was Lilly. As soon as he stopped at her crate, the dog reached through the bars and gently pawed at his knee as if to say, “I like you, bend down so we can sniff each other.” Lanteigne did better. He took Lilly for a walk. Before they went back to the shelter, Lanteigne realised he wanted to take this dog home. Apparently, Lilly felt the same way. When Lanteigne opened the boot of his car to get Lilly some dog biscuits, she jumped inside and scurried to the back. Her tongue flopped out of her mouth, offering Lanteigne a look that said, “Take me home.” Sometimes a girl has to make the first move.

Lanteigne adopted Lilly, but the dog spent most of her time with his mother, Spain, to keep her company. When Spain met Lilly, she petted her under the chin and scratched behind her ears. Lilly flipped over onto her back with all four legs in the air, praying for a belly rub, and as Spain obliged, the dog’s eyes closed and made a contented grunt, as if to say “thank you”. The pit bull’s friskiness, her frenzied tail wagging and lavish kisses had an unexpected effect on Spain, who had been struggling in the depths of depression, anxiety and alcoholism for many years. Lilly became the centre of Spain’s universe. She pampered the dog with daily walks and homemade meals. Her drinking reduced drastically.

Spain and Lilly formed a close and strong bond over the years. Little did Spain know that on a day when she got drunk again, this dog with a gentle demeanor would lay down its life for her.

In the wee hours of a day in May 2012, Lilly and Spain were walking home from a friend’s house. The cool night air was filled with the crisp scent of flowers, but Spain was too drunk to appreciate it. As the pair walked across the railway tracks, Spain wobbled and fell unconscious onto the tracks. For reasons unknown to man, Lilly sensed disaster looming. She barked agitatedly in alarm, but Spain did not wake up. The gallant dog sprang into action. She grabbed one leg of Spain’s pants and wriggled backwards, pulling her away from the tracks with all her might, as though her previous weight-pull training was preparation for this moment. The whooshing sound of a train was audible now. In the nick of time, Lilly managed to get Spain out of harm’s way, but it was too late for herself.

An animal control officer rushed Lilly to a nearby emergency animal hospital where Lanteigne met them in the parking lot. Lilly grinned and wagged her tail when she saw Lanteigne, letting him know that she was all right. She managed to survive after two surgeries that amputated her right front leg and implanted steel plates in her left leg and fractured pelvis.

Thanks to her heroic deed, Lilly became an advocate for pit bulls, helping to break the stigmas that had surrounded her breed for years. She was kept busy by being the ambassador of a fund created by Lanteigne to help other shelter dogs. On 9 November 2018, Lilly the hero pit bull was laid to rest at the age of 15. “Her life represents the true devotion, companionship and love an animal brings to our lives.” Lanteigne wrote on Lilly’s Facebook page.

Dogs have a shorter lifespan than humans probably because they already know how to live and love so they don’t have to stay as long. They find bliss in the simplest of things—a belly rub, a chase, a cuddle, an extra bowl of kibble. They are always there for you, sharing your moments of happiness, licking off your tears of sorrow, cuddling away your loneliness and forgiving you easily for your mistakes. Their love is unconditional, regardless of your physical appearance, religion, race, financial status or abilities. And just by being what they are, our canine companions can teach us life-altering lessons about unfailing love, about happiness, about being present and about what it means to be a good friend.