Man Tackles 350-Pound Bear To Save His Dog’s Life

Dogs are known as man’s best friend for a reason. They’re eternally loyal and provide unconditional love that we’ll never experience with anyone or anything else. That’s why Nevada dog owner Kaleb Bentham didn’t hesitate to take down a 300-pound bear to save his beloved pit bull, Buddy.

  1. The bear was dragging Buddy to the ground. Buddy was outside playing while Kaleb was inside on November 25, the day before Thanksgiving. Suddenly, Kaleb heard a growl, and when he went to check out what was happening, he saw Buddy nearly 75 feet away, being tackled and dragged by the huge bear. “The bear was dragging him by his head, had his head in his mouth,” he told CBS Sacramento.
  2. Kaleb’s quick thinking helped save Buddy. Without thinking twice, he ran over towards the animals and “plowed into the bear, tackled it and grabbed it by the throat.” He then hit it “in the face and the eye,” which led the bear to finally drop Buddy so he could be taken to safety.
  3. Buddy was rushed to the vet to check his injuries. Kaleb was worried that the bear had already done too much damage and that Buddy would die, especially since the closest vet’s office was closed. However, he contacted Mother Lode Veterinary Hospital and rushed Buddy there, and they immediately performed surgery on the animal.
  4. Buddy was in a pretty bad state. He had to have staples, stitches, and tubes put into his head to drain fluid. However, he managed to pull through and got to go home with Kaleb (albeit with a cone on so that he didn’t mess with his wounds) and they spent Thanksgiving together lying in bed.
  5. Kaleb would do the same thing all over again. “If it was your kid, what would you do? That’s my kid, I would die for my dog,” he said. Frankly, I couldn’t agree more!

Jennifer Still is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience. The managing editor of Bolde, she has bylines in Vanity Fair, Business Insider, The New York Times, Glamour, Bon Appetit, and many more. You can follow her on Twitter @jenniferlstill
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