A man in Sacramento was forced to fight a bear hand-to-paw the day in order to save his endangered dog.
Kaleb Benham explained that his 90-pound pit bull, Buddy had been playing outside of his home when he heard unusual sounds, CBS13 Sacramento reported. Buddy had met a 350-pound bear, and was being dragged by his head when Benham showed up.
California man tackles, punches 350 pound bear to save his dog https://t.co/xET0nCSo1y pic.twitter.com/440NeHkC1o
— New York Post (@nypost) December 5, 2020
“Honest the only thing I could think of was ‘save my baby,'” Benham explained, according to the outlet.
“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,” Benham continued.
Benham wasted no time trying to save his dog’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,” Benham told CBS13. “My first thought was that I was going to lose him.” (RELATED: Wild Footage Captures Bears Wandering Into Stores And Confronting People Near Lake Tahoe)
After saving his dog, Benham rushed to find an open veterinary clinic. He brought Buddy to Mother Lode Veterinary Hospital for surgery, and Buddy ended up having to receive staples, stitches, and tubes being inserted into his head in order to drain fluid.
Buddy is now back at home and making a safe and quick recovery.