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TAMPA, Fla. —
Haus the German shepherd is more than just a four-legged friend; he's also a hero.

According to The Associated Press, 7-year-old Molly DeLuca was in her Tampa, Florida, backyard Wednesday with her grandmother and Haus when the dog started acting strangely.

"She saw him jump back and go forward, and jump back and go forward," Molly's mother, Donya DeLuca, told WTVT. "He was just kind of holding his ground."


Then they saw what had caused the commotion: Haus was protecting the family from a rattlesnake.

"Just based on temperament, he was standing up for my daughter. He was standing between; he didn't budge," Donya DeLuca told WTVT. "He kept taking hits."

The DeLucas rushed Haus, who was bleeding, to a clinic, where vets found three rattlesnake bites on the dog's leg. The venom damaged Haus' kidneys, but the dog appeared to be on the road to a full recovery after being treated with expensive anti-venom, Donya DeLuca wrote in a Facebook post Sunday.

"The BEST news so far," she wrote. "Haus is doing great; walked up to me the most 'Haus-like' we've seen since before the incident. He ate some chicken and drank water."


Meanwhile, friends and strangers came together to raise more than $52,000 for Haus' treatment with a GoFundMe page.

"We have been assured we have plenty of money for Haus and no longer need donations," Donya DeLuca wrote Friday. "If you would like to donate in Haus's name, please make your donations to Heidis Legacy Rescue, who helped so much with Haus's transition to our family."

http://www.myfoxboston.com/news/trending-now/hero-dog-bitten-by-rattlesnake-while-protecting-7yearold-girl/286387187