Heroic dog owner punches bear to save his beloved pet

Grass Valley, California- Some pet owners would have been frozen in horror and fear if they saw a bear attack their beloved pet, but Kaleb was not going to let this 350-pound giant make a snack out of his dog named Buddy.

Kaleb tackled a bear to save his best friend.
Kaleb tackled a bear to save his best friend.  © 123rf/ jmrocek

On November 25, Kaleb Benham heard a growl and when he looked towards the sound, he saw a bear dragging the pooch away by his head.

"I heard a growl, looked about 75-100 feet down, and the bear was dragging him by his head, had his head in his mouth, " Kaleb told CBS 13 Sacramento.

But Kaleb didn't hesitate to save his best friend. He immediately ran down the hill and tackled the animal. "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."

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Not everyone would take on a bear for their pet but to Kaleb, his canine companion is more than just a pet. He rescued Buddy a few years ago and now he's part of the family. “If it was your kid, what would you do. That’s my kid, I would die for my dog,”

Buddy needed emergency surgery

Buddy suffered serious injuries but he pulled through.
Buddy suffered serious injuries but he pulled through.  © Screenshot/twitter.com/AnnaGilesTV/

Even though Kaleb was able to make the bear drop his snack, the dog was in bad shape and needed medical attention. “My first thought was that I was going to lose him,” Benham told CBS 13. To make matters worse the nearest veterinary hospital had closed due to a confirmed coronavirus case.

But Kaleb didn't give up. He raced the dog to Mother Lode Veterinary Hospital where the staff worked to save him. Buddy needed lots of staples, stitches, and tubes to remove fluid. But after almost four hours of surgery, Buddy was all patched up.

The two are now back at home recovering from the eventful incident. But the strangest thing about the bear attack is that Kaleb's punches didn't scare off the bear for good.

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It has been back to Kaleb's a few times since the attack. Kaleb is convinced that the bear is still set on eating Buddy. "It made an attack and had its food got taken from it and it wants it back."

Cover photo: Collage/Screenshot/twitter.com/AnnaGilesTV & 123rf/ jmrocek

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