A former mayor in New Jersey did what most pet owner's only ponder in the theoretical. He risked his very life for his pet and almost paid dearly.

Michael Batten, former mayor of Pitman, was walking his dog Sunday when it broke free from its leash. he dog ran into the road where there was heavy traffic. Batten didn't think twice. He ran right into the path of a moving car and threw his dog to safety and took the hit himself. Struck by the car, he suffered 5 broken ribs and fractured vertebrae. A friend said, "That's just the way Mike is. He would do that for anybody."

Anybody yes, but a dog? Would you? When we talk about this kind of thing on the air I often wonder if the extreme pet lover's are just more apt to jump on the phone, skewing the perception. So I thought we'd bring the question here to the webpage.

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