88-year-old war veteran rescues girl from put bull attack by hitting dog with Christmas lawn ornament

PERRY TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A 10-year-old girl from Ohio survived a vicious attack by her family’s pit bull, thanks to a courageous 88-year-old Korean War veteran.

Leonard Miller was at home in Perry Township when his 13-year-old neighbor came to his front door frantically asking for his help, according to CNN affiliate WOIO. The girl told Miller that her younger sister was being attacked by the family’s dog, and he quickly sprang into action.

Miller rushed over to help his neighbor, and he found the girl on the floor with the dog biting her upper left arm.

Miller told CNN affiliate WJW that he did not have time to grab his baseball bat, so he picked up a plastic Nutcracker Christmas ornament on his way into the house and used it as a weapon to fend off the dog.

Miller told WOIO that he hit the dog a number of times but it didn’t “faze it.”

“So, I got it and started to hit it on the back several times, and it released the little girl,” Miller told WOIO.

According to WJW, a Stark County spokeswoman said that the family had surrendered the pit bull to the county dog warden on Monday. Neither affiliate named the girl’s family, so CNN wasn’t able to reach them for comment.