‘Max’ courage: Pet takes bullet for owner in UP's Sultanpur, dies

LUCKNOW: A dog is a man's best friend. In Sultanpur, however, a canine took that friendship to another level when he took a bullet for his master and died.
Vishal Srivastava, who was getting some construction done outside his house to set up a cowshed, entered into an argument with his neighbour Anil Verma who had objected to it.
Anil claimed that the construction of the cowshed would be a hindrance for the children coming to his school nearby.The issue took an ugly turn when Anil whipped out a revolver and opened fire at Vishal.
"It happened all of sudden and no one was prepared for this, except my pet Max, a Rottweiler. He had sensed danger and jumped on the attacker at that crucial moment. As Max took the bullet and fell down, Anil fled the scene," a teary-eyed Vishal told TOI.
Max was rushed to a veterinarian who declared the dog dead.

Sultanpur superintendent of police Vipin Mishra said that an FIR under the charges of attempt to murder, provoking breach of peace and voluntarily causing hurt has been filed against Anil and his unidentified aides. "We are now on the lookout to arrest them," he said.
"We are also scanning the CCTV footage of nearby spots to check the sequence of events," said Mishra.
Meanwhile, an inconsolable Vishal rued the dearth of facilities for pets at the local veterinary hospital. "Max kept bleeding for three hours and I got no help to save his life despite several efforts from the local administration and also intervention of the local MP. Getting an X-ray took over an hour," he said.
"Had help or assistance been provided timely, Max could have been alive today," said Vishal.
"How unfortunate I am! Max gave up his life for me and I have to perform his last rites," he said.
"My rottweiler was just three and very playful, energetic, and loyal. Even my friends who ever tried to misbehave with me in his presence were attacked," he said.
Vishal said the accused is an influential person who was also in the fray for the Vidhan Sabha election from Sultanpur on the opposition party’s ticket.
"It was a normal spat; there was no need to whip out a pistol and open fire," he said.