This Haus has strong foundations.
A heroic German shepherd withstood three venomous bites from a rattlesnake as he protected a 7-year-old girl in Florida on Wednesday.
Molly DeLuca was playing with 2-year-old Haus on Wednesday when the slithering menace showed up in their Tampa backyard. Undaunted, Haus jumped between Molly and the snake, and was bitten three times while protecting the little girl.
“She saw him jump back, and go forward, and jump back and go forward,” Molly’s mom Donya DeLuca told Fox 13. “He was just, kind of, holding his ground. Next thing we know is, there’s blood and he was limping and crying.”
Haus did not hesitate to rescue Molly because the two of them had developed an “unbelievable” bond, Donya DeLuca told the station.
“Just based on temperament, he was standing up for my daughter, he was standing between, he didn’t budge,” she told the station. “He kept taking hits, she was on the other side of him, and so was my mom.”
Hundreds of people are now coming to the dog’s rescue, donating a whopping $33,000 so far for much-needed antivenin. Haus suffered damage to his kidneys, and the family feared losing him. But Haus is now expected to make a full recovery.
“I feel really grateful for the dog,” Donya DeLuca told the station. “It is frightening to think it could have been my daughter. I don’t know if she would have made it.”