Stabbings, burnings, more stabbings.
Seems like South Florida kids are acting more like the characters in "300" than "High School Musical" these days.
Which is why we're all about seven Allapattah Middle School students.
See, there was this puppy, Winnie.
And Winnie was beaten and stuffed down a sewer grate.
The students saw Winnie and came to her rescue.
Now Winnie is a boisterous three-legged pooch living in a happy home.
Local
Today, on the anniversary of Winnie's rescue, the students were honored for their actions by Susan Hargreaves, director of humaneeducatorsreachingout.com, an organization that teaches children to be and rewards them for being compassionate to animals.
They received gift copies of "50 Awesome Ways Kids Can Help Animals," HERO baseball caps, gift certificates and iPods.
But the best gift (okay, next to the iPod), perhaps, was a surprise visit by Winnie herself.
The black pooch ran out, tail wagging, and welcomed all the love and attention.
"I'm surprised she's running with three legs," said Julian Brown, one of the students who helped rescue the then-8-month-old pup. "I'm just glad she got a home."
The day also marked HERO's expansion from a local organization to a national one.
"It's vital, today more than ever, that people learn compassion," said Hargreaves. "When we see children acting on the behalf of others, they need to be rewarded. This animal would be dead if not for their actions. And now today Winnie is here, happy, galloping around on three legs."
