A California man sprung into action to save his beloved pitbull from a massive bear. The pair was out for a walk when he heard growling from the bushes behind him. It was like something out of a scary movie.
Bear attack in California
Kaleb Benham was out for a walk with his dog in Grass Valley California went they crossed paths with a 350-pound black bear. He heard a growl and then turned to see the bear charge at his dog. It all happened so fast, but Benham reacted quick. He ran straight into harm’s way and began pummeling the beast until it let go of his dog.
“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. Honestly the only thing I could think of was ‘save my baby.’ 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.”
Incredibly, the bear let go of his dog and both of them ran for their lives. Once they reached safety, Benham realized his dog was badly injured by the bear attack. He knew he needed to get his dog to the veterinarian ASAP. He called the local clinic and was told it was closed because of a positive COVID-19 case. “My first thought was that I was going to lose him,” Benham said.
But he wasn’t ready to give up on his loyal companion just yet. He rushed his injured dog to the animal hospital and they immediately put his dog, Buddy, into surgery. The veterinarian had to staple, stitch, and insert tubes inside of Buddy’s head so that it would drain from all of the swelling created from the bear attack. “I just stood there and watched through the window for 3 ½ hours,” Benham said.
Bear attacks dog. Man punches bear.
This California man saves his dog from a bear attack by punching it in the face. Wow. (🎥@AnnaGilesTV)
— TodayInSports (@TodayInSports3) December 6, 2020
Man rescues his dog again
Thankfully, Buddy made it through the surgery just fine and is now recovering. Buddy received numerous injuries to his body, including a bite close to his eye as well as a hole through his lip. Buddy also had to have his ears stapled back onto his head. Thankfully, the dog is expected to make a full recovery.
Benham is worried that the bear is still lurking around his property. He said he’s keeping an eye out for it and would do anything to protect his beloved dog Buddy, which he rescued from a shelter. “If it was your kid, what would you do? That’s my kid, I would die for my dog.”
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife report the state is home to anywhere between 25,000 and 30,000 black bears. Adult females weigh anywhere from 100 to 200 pounds and adult males weigh anywhere between 150-350 pounds. However, there are some cases in which adult male black bears can grow as large as 600 pounds.
