What would you do if your dog was taken hold of by an angry bear? Would you let your dog go in order to save yourself, or would you risk your life and confront the bear in an attempt to save your beloved pet’s life?
It’s safe to say that most of us pet owners wouldn’t think twice about risking our lives if it meant that our pet was going to be okay. Our pets are like our children- and that’s not necessarily something that people who don’t have pets can understand.
So when Kaleb Benham’s beloved pitbull Buddy came face to face with an angry bear, Kaleb immediately jumped into action to save his sweet pooch.
It was the early hours of Thanksgiving Eve in California, and Kaleb and Buddy were out playing when they sighted the black bear. Buddy had only run a few meters away, but as soon as the bear emerged from the shadows, there was no time to react.
Kaleb heard a loud growl emerge from the distance, and the next minute, a large black bear had emerged from the darkness and grabbed Buddy by the head with its mouth.
The bear then began its attempt to drag Buddy away from Kaleb – but Kaleb wasn’t about to stand by and watch it happen.
Sparing no thoughts for his own life, Kaleb rushed at the bear in an act that would go on to save Buddy’s life.
“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,” Kaleb told iHeartDogs.
Thanks to Kaleb’s quick actions, the bear seemed to be caught by surprise, and immediately released Buddy, turned around, and ran back into the darkness. It was only then that Kaleb could see the true extent of his dog’s injuries.
Buddy had deep lacerations all over his face from the bear’s sharp teeth and required extensive surgery that lasted almost 3 hours.
Thankfully, the little dog was a fighter, and he managed to pull through his operation. He’s now on the road to recovery, and Kaleb can’t help but reflect on how different the situation could have been.
Speaking about his bravery in rescuing Buddy, Kaleb explained that in his head, he really didn’t have the choice in the matter. Buddy is incredibly special to him, and you’d do anything to look after the ones who are special to you.
“If it was your kid, what would you do? That’s my kid, I would die for my dog.”
We can totally understand where Kaleb is coming from – but that doesn’t take away from his bravery! He’s proved to Buddy just how much he loves him and we’re sure that the pair’s bond will have been strengthened even more after their shared ordeal.
We wish Buddy the best with his recovery, and we hope that the pair go on to have no more encounters with angry bears!
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