Seven year old Molly DeLuca’s best friend almost died saving her life, last week. Haus, the aforementioned best friend, is a two year old German Shepherd.
Molly and Haus were playing in the backyard and everything seemed normal, but then Molly’s grandmother saw something strange. The pup was jumping back and forth in a threatening posture, practically guarding Molly from something. That something was a rattlesnake.
Everything happened so quickly that the DeLucas didn’t have time to react to the situation. Molly’s mother, Donya, told Fox 13:
Next thing we know is, there’s blood and he was limping and crying.
Despite the imminent danger to himself, Haus “kept taking hits” to block the snake from attacking Molly or her grandmother.
Haus spent the past few days fighting for his life at BluePearl Veterinary Partners in Tampa, Florida. This morning, the vet clinic updated their Facebook page with wonderful news – Haus is alert and showing signs of progress!
Carrie O’Brion, BluePearl’s Communications Manager, told us:
Haus is still in the ICU at BluePearl but he is doing well. He’s making and steady progress toward recovery. Doctors are optimistic about his prognosis but he’ll still have to be hospitalized for at least a few more days.
In an update on Facebook, Donya said that there is still venom in the pup’s blood. His fight it not over yet, but it does look like it’s a fight he will win.
As for Molly’s family, on Thursday her mother said:
I couldn’t even sleep last night. I barely slept because it is bittersweet. I am doing everything I can. I feel like I owe it to him to keep trying to save him.
The DeLucas set up a GoFundMe to help cover Haus’ medical costs, but since the story has gone viral, tons of generous humans have donated enough money (nearly $53,000!) that the family is now asking people to donate to Heidi’s Legacy Dog Rescue, in lieu of making donations for Haus. No only did Haus save his best friend, but now his newfound fame will help save dogs in need!
Watch Molly and her mother talk about their life-saving friend in the news report below:
We’ve reached out to BluePearl Veterinary Partners for more detailed information and we will update everyone on Haus’ condition when they respond.