Dog Sacrifices Himself To Save Owner From Rattlesnake

Our dogs will always do their best to protect us. That is why we love them so much, and probably why they’re called “man’s best friend.” And one little pup in Rapid City, South Dakota lived up to the title after he saved his owner from a rattlesnake.

Devin Diede, along with his wife, Alex, had taken their 11-year-old Yorkshire terrier named Bear on a hike along the Centennial Trail. While walking along the route that is a part of the Black Hills National Forest, the trio encountered a rattlesnake. According to news outlet KEVN, the dog was the one who first noticed the venomous snake on the trail. And it was Bear who ended up taking the bite for his owner.

As Devin shared with the media, if Bear hadn’t been there to take the bite it would have been Alex who ended up getting bitten. Devin further explained that Bear handled the pain surprisingly well. He stated that Bear didn’t “yip or bark.” Still, the couple knew it was crucial immediately – especially when the couple noticed that Bear wasn’t putting weight on the front of his leg.

Bear’s condition had worsened even by the time they managed to get him back to the car – the little dog was fully unable to walk by that point. Fortunately, once they got Bear to the vet’s, it was calculated that he’d only been bitten once on the chest.

Devin noted that the staff of the emergency animal clinic in Rapid City did a fantastic job of caring for him. As he said to KEVN, “The vet took him and immediately started a blood transfusion.”

Bear spent a whole night at the vet’s office and it wasn’t until the next day that Alex and Devin were able to pick up Bear and take him home after his big ordeal. Devin and Alex couldn’t have been any prouder of their pooch. As he stated about Bear, the little pup was a “tough little guy and most definitely a hero.”

And we couldn’t agree more.