Pit bull helps save Brooklyn Park boy

Learn about our mobile app - http://bit.ly/CH12app On the night of Oct. 2, Tater Tot was barking and frantically and running between between bedrooms of Christi Smith and her young son, Peyton. "The longer that I waited, the more vocal he got about it," Smith said. "Until he was running out of the bedroom every five seconds." When Smith finally checked on her son he was barely breathing. Smith then grabbed Peyton, dashed out of her Brooklyn Park home and raced to the hospital. They arrived just in time. Thanks to Tater Tot, Smith's 10-month-old pit bull, the story has a happy ending. After several tests, doctors found nothing wrong with Peyton. It is unclear why he was not breathing, but doctors traced it to low blood sugar levels. "Being a parent, your kids are your number one priority," Smith said. "When something happens, there is no description of the word you can find and Tater Tot saved me from that." As for Tater Tot, he's now an Internet sensation with 14,000 likes on his Facebook page. Tater Tot is also no longer a foster dog. Smith has adopted him. "He saved my son's life," Smith said, "so I'm saving his." Tater Tot is also proof that pit bulls - despite their reputation - have good qualities. "They are the sweetest animals and it is all how they are raised," Smith said. "Any dog can be raised to be mean." Smith has foster cared many dogs in the past and says there is always a need for good homes. She works with the group, www.ruffstartrescue.org. Eric Nelson, reporting http://www.ccxmedia.org/   / ccxmedia.org     / ccxnews   12 News is on Comcast cable channel 12 in the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis and includes the cities Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Golden Valley, Maple Grove, New Hope, Osseo, Plymouth and Robbinsdale.