Teen risks life to save young girls. (The Goodness of America).

On November 30, 2001 in Arlington, Texas, some children were jumping on a trampoline and riding bicycles in their neighborhood as two pit bulls barked behind a wooden fence in a nearby yard. The dogs somehow escaped and began chasing two 11-year-old twin sisters.

Fifteen-year-old Brian Little had been riding his bicycle in the area. He witnessed the twins' plight and, unhesitatingly, jumped on his bike and began pedaling toward the girls hoping to preclude the dogs from harming them. As he approached, the dogs turned their attention to him. When he veered toward one, it bit through his front tire. He told the December 15th Dallas Morning News, "I rode about half a block on a flat tire and then, I guess that's when it bit my head. It knocked me off. I still don't remember a lot of the details."

As he attempted to run, the dog sank its teeth into his back, arms, and legs. The muscle under his left arm pit was ripped, and the flesh was torn loose from his right biceps. At one point, in the attempt to defend himself, Brian bit the ferocious animal's neck.

A neighbor sought to drive the dog off by striking it with a fireplace poker, but to no avail. Eventually, the mother of one of Brian's friends was able to pull it away, and Brian was rushed to a children's medical center in Fort Worth. During the trip, as recounted by Morning News staff writer Matt Frazier, he "noticed the pain" but "didn't begin crying until he learned that authorities couldn't reach his mother, who was at the movies." He was treated for 15 bite wounds that required some 70 stitches and, Frazier notes, "stepped out of the hospital a hero."

On December 14th, police awarded Brian a certificate of merit for bravery during a ceremony at his school attended by friends, family, and classmates. The twins whom he had saved from serious harm (or worse) were there. They gave him a hug, with one exclaiming:

I think he is brave. He knew the dog was mean because it wouldn't stop chasing us. I think my dad is going to buy him something nice for Christmas.

Brian's mother, Keri Williams, recalled that her son has "always been a very caring person, the kind who would give the shirt off his back.... I am so very, very proud of him." Police officer Carla Strauser, who had been called to the scene of the attack, added:

I hope he becomes a police officer or a fireman or something like that where he is willing to lay his life on the line for others. He is going to be a hero.

For his part, Brian, who stands five feet tall and weighs 100 pounds, explained that he had acted mostly on instinct. "I didn't really think about it. I quickly got my bike up from the road and went after them. I thought maybe I could just scare the dogs off." He has no regrets about intervening in the obviously perilous situation. "I would do it again," he insists. "I might do it a little differently. But I would do it again."

The pit bulls, which were turned over to animal control officers by their owner, tested negative for rabies after being destroyed.