“It is most admirable that somebody immediately takes action, when somebody else is in danger – instead of just ignoring the situation.”

Thus were the words of chief bencher Niels Voss Hansen from Christian the Fourth´s Guild, when the Guild presented a “bette cheque” to Maria Bitsch (bette being the local word for small). Maria Bitsch is the young woman, who a couple of weeks ago came to the rescue of a jogger, who had just been attacked by two fierce, fighting dogs.

“The income of the Guild stems from contingents and donations, and so it isn’t great sums that we are able to donate, but it is absolutely in the spirit of the Guild to appreciate an heroic act such as that of Maria Bitsch, when she threw herself into a fight with two ferocious dogs who had grabbed the jogger with their teeth”- said Niels Voss Hansen.

Maria Bitsch was –with her family – invited to the Guild’s lounge in Jens Bangs Stone-house in Aalborg, and it was here she received the cheque and a bottle of “Laugsbitter”.

Maria Bitsch won’t forget the morning when she – driving on Anders Bork’s Road in Aalborg – saw the two dogs attack a jogger. “I braked and used the horn” – Maria Bitsch tells – ”but that didn’t stop the dogs.

Then I opened a door and the jogger got into the car - and so did one of the dogs still with its teeth in the poor man’s leg. I then grabbed a children’s auto chair and used it to hit the dog with one hand, while I used the other hand to keep the horn sounding to get someone to come and help”.

At one point both the furious dogs were in the car, and got hit with the chair. By then help arrived and at last the dogs had to lose their grip and leave the car without having injured Maria Bitsch.

The benchers of the Guild salutes Maria Bitsch, and she is presented with a cheque and a bottle of “Laugsbitter”.

Foto: Jens Morten