Illegal pitbull stands by owner after house fire

LANDOVER, Md., Dec. 3 (UPI) -- A pitbull in Maryland was sent to an animal shelter along with her puppy after standing guard over her injured owner in a viral video.

The video shows the pitbull, named Precious, standing next to her owner's unconscious body after she was injured during a house fire in Prince George's County. Fire crews took the two victims to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and Precious and her puppy were sent to an animal shelter due to the county's laws regarding pitbull ownership.

Reports say that the dog refused to move away from her owner's body and ultimately had to be scared away using a fire extinguisher.

There are no plans to press charges against the dog's owners considering the circumstances, but owning a pitbull in Prince George's County is a criminal offense which can warrant 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Precious' owner's son disagreed with the decision to have the dogs taken away, but first wanted to focus on the well being of his parent and the state of their home.

"It's sad. I love that dog," he told NBC Washington. "I wish I could get her back, but right now we've got bigger fish to fry."

Sandra Hamorsky of the Maryland Dog Federation described Precious as a "sweet animal doing what dogs do protecting their owners."

She also told WUSA9 that the federation has been fighting to lift the ban on pitbulls for years.

Another dog and two turtles were also taken from the home along with the two pitbulls.