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Family Dog Bitten by Rattlesnake While Protecting 7-Year-Old

"We love him and we cherish him, but I feel indebted that he saved our daughter"

A Florida family's rescue dog did some saving of his own this week.

Haus, a 2-year-old German shepherd, was bitten three times in the leg by an eastern diamondback rattlesnake while apparently trying to protect his owners' 7-year-old daughter, NBC affiliate WFLA reports.

According to WFLA, Haus went behind the family's pool in Tampa to retrieve his toys Wednesday when Donya DeLuca heard screams from her young daughter Molly.

DeLuca believes Haus was injured while preventing the snake from reaching Molly.

"He had every opportunity to run, and he didn't," DeLuca told WFLA. "He was protecting Molly, and my mother I think."

Haus was rushed to a local veterinary hospital, where he was placed in the intensive care unit. He's receiving continuous doses of anti-venom and is expected to recover.

"We love him and we cherish him, but I feel indebted that he saved our daughter," DeLuca told WFLA.

Donations to a GoFundMe account to help pay the vet bills quickly topped the family's goal of $15,000 on Friday.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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