A real friend always has your back in a fight.
So when Kaleb Benham’s best friend’s life was on the line he jumped in.
And Benham didn’t hesitate to throw hands when a bear attacked his Buddy.
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Benham told CBS News that his 90-lb. rescue pit bull Buddy was playing outside of their Nevada County, California home the day before Thanksgiving.
Benham was inside his home when he heard growling outside.
He immediately ran to check on his dog and saw an absolutely terrifying sight.
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He came outside to find a 350-pound bear dragging his dog by his head.
“Honestly, the only thing I could think of was ‘save my baby,'” Benham said.
And with that thought, Benham decided to fight the bear with his own bare hands.
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Let me say that again. Dude fought a 350 lb. bear. By himself, by jumping on him and then beating the shit out of him. That’s freaking crazy!
“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.
Even though Benham was able to wrestle his dog from the bear’s grip, Buddy still wasn’t in the clear.
Buddy received extensive injuries to his face and ears. To make matters worse, the closest vet hospital was closed due to a positive COVID case.
“My first thought was that I was going to lose him,” Benham said.
Benham ended driving to Mother Lode Veterinary Hospital in Grass Valley.
Doctors there rushed Buddy into surgery. Benham had to standby for three hours while Buddy’s ears were stapled back to his head and he received stitches and a tube to drain the fluid in his head.
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That nasty bear almost took the dog’s eye out, biting very close to it. The bear also bit a hole through Buddy’s lip.
Benham and Buddy spent Thanksgiving resting together, thankful that they still had each other.
Buddy has to wear a cone of shame for a little while but he is expected to recover fully.
Unfortunately, the bear has returned to Benham’s house… several times!
Beham says he can’t figure out how to get rid of him.
“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.
It is believed that the bear who attacked Buddy is a black bear since it’s the only bear species in the state with an estimated population of 25,000 to 30,000.
People all over the internet were impressed by Benham’s bravery.
“Still focused on his beloved dog when he could have been easily killed himself. Good (scary) work!” wrote one Twitter commenter.
People were touched by the way Benham sacrificed himself for his beloved doggo.
“I love that he said if it was your kid what would you do. His dog is his kid. I feel the same way about my dogs. I love them more than I do people. So glad the dog is ok. God Bless,” another person wrote on Twitter
People were even asking if they could buy Buddy presents because they wanted him to have a more comfortable cone around his neck.
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