Hero Dog Saved 7-Year-Old From Rattlesnake

TAMPA, FL — The Tampa German shepherd who took three bites from a diamondback rattlesnake to protect his owner’s 7-year-old daughter last week is on the road to recovery, veterinary officials say.

Haus, 2, was in the DeLuca family’s Tampa backyard last week with Molly, 7, and her grandmother when the dog spotted a rattlesnake. Haus reportedly swung into action, jumping between the deadly snake the little girl.

Haus was bitten three times by the snake, “but stood his ground,” Carrie O’Brion, spokeswoman for BluePearl Veterinary Partners told Patch

“Haus is doing really well,” O’Brion said Monday “He has been eating and walking, and his bloodwork is improving every day.”

Haus is under the care of Dr. John Gicking, a board-certified emergency and critical care specialist, O’Brion said. “He’s very pleased with the progress he is seeing and there’s a good chance Haus won’t suffer any long-term effects from the snake attack.”

Since arriving at BluePearl, Haus has received anti-venom, IV fluids and pain medication, O’Brion said.

The potential cost of his care was estimated at more than $10,000 prompting the creation of a GoFundMe campaign. That campaign raised more than $52,000 in four days, prompting Donya DeLuca, Molly’s mother, to close the fundraiser and ask folks to donate instead to Heidi’s Legacy Rescue, the organization the family adopted Haus from.

“We have been assured we have plenty of money for Haus and no longer need donations,” Donya DeLuca wrote on the Haus the Hero Dog Facebook page over the weekend. DeLuca also expressed her gratitude for everyone who reached out with words of support or donations to help Haus.

“I feel so connected to all of you, I think you know how grateful we are,” she wrote on Facebook. “Thank you to every veterinarian who did the right thing; thank you to every person who donated; thank you to all my friends and family; thank you to all of you providing prayers and photos and keeping me emotionally positive.”

Just how soon Haus might be able to go home is unclear, but O’Brion said the DeLucas’ decision to get Haus to a emergency veterinarian so quickly after the attack greatly improved his chances for a positive recovery.

Photos courtesy of BluePearl