Dog bitten by rattlesnake saving 7-year-old girl

Haus is still recovering in the Intensive Care Unit of Tampa's Blue Pearl Emergency Veterinary and Specialty Hospital

There is a famous saying that there is nothing on earth as loyal as a dog and German shepherd Haus, proved it! The dog defended his owner's 7-year-old girl, from a venomous Eastern diamondback rattlesnake that appeared in her backyard. It refused to back down even when the snake bit him three times.
"It shows you that a rescue dog, for us, paid it forward by protecting my family," said Adam DeLuca of Tampa.
Now hundreds of donors are coming to the family's rescue, quickly topping the goal of $15,000 on a GoFundMe account to help pay for the antivenin needed to keep the dog alive. By Friday afternoon, $35,000 had been raised for the dog's care.
Haus is still recovering in the Intensive Care Unit of Tampa's Blue Pearl Emergency Veterinary and Specialty Hospital, and is being treated with anti-venom and painkillers, said Dr John Gicking.
"Without the pain medication, he's in pain. He's responsive, he's alert, and his leg is swollen and uncomfortable," the doctor said.
Molly DeLuca's grandmother was watching her play with the 2-year-old shepherd in their backyard when the dog suddenly jumped in front of the girl and reared up several times. It wasn't clear what happened at first, but they could tell Haus was bleeding, and brought him to the vet. When his leg was shaved, three bite marks could be seen - telltale signs of the rattlesnake.
The family lives near a state park that is a habitat for rattlesnakes and cottonmouths, and dangerous critters can slip under their fence from the wilderness, her father said. The snake's venom damaged the dog's kidneys. - AP