Heroic man tackles a 350lb bear that was attacking his precious dog
By FoxIsHere
A brave man in California proved that there's nothing he wouldn't do to protect his furry loved one, including fighting off massive bears. As reported by CBS News, Kaleb Benham, who lives in Nevada County, California, combated a huge bear by tackling it to the ground and then hitting it in the face after he witnessed his pit bull, Buddy, being attacked. Benham said that his 90-pound rescue dog was playing near his home a day before Thanksgiving when the incident occurred. Benham reportedly heard growls outside his home which prompted him to check on Buddy.
Image Source: GoFundMe
That's when he found the roughly 350-pound bear "dragging him by his head." At that time, he could only think about saving his companion from the bear's grasp. "Honestly, the only thing I could think of was 'save my baby,'" Benham said. He didn't think twice before running out and facing the bear, head-on. "I just ran down there, plowed into the bear, tackled it and grabbed it by the throat and started hitting it in the face and the eye until it let go," he said. Next, he rushed Buddy, his companion of seven years, to the nearest veterinary hospital, but found out it was closed due to a positive COVID-19 case.
"My first thought was that I was going to lose him," Benham said. However, Buddy was taken to Mother Lode Veterinary Hospital in Grass Valley, where the vets performed emergency surgery on him. The procedure took about three hours and Benham was right beside Buddy the entire time while he got staples, stitches, and tubes inserted into his head to drain fluid. Benham and Buddy's story was shared on Twitter by a reporter and it's touched the lives of many! In the video, Buddy can be seen wearing a cone around his neck so he doesn't scratch it while it heals. Benham said Buddy suffered several injuries because the bear bit very close to the dog's eye, and caused a hole straight through his lip.
Image Source: GoFundMe
His ears also had to be fully stapled back on. The silver lining here is that Buddy is expected to make a full recovery. However, Benham says the bear has returned to their home several times after the incident. It's quite scary not knowing if it's still out, looking for his "catch." Benham is still trying to figure out how to get the bear to go away. "It made an attack and had its food and its food got taken from it and it wants it back, I feel like," Benham said. A GoFundMe has been set up by Benham's sister Katelyn to raise funds for Buddy's treatments. They've now stopped accepting funds, but have managed to raise over $2,200.
Image Source: GoFundMe/Help for Kaleb and Buddy
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