Dogs have long been known as man’s best friend because of the incredible loyalty they show to humans. Recently, a man gave this love back to his dog in a big way by putting his own life on the line and physically attacking a bear that had snatched his canine.

“Honestly the only thing I could think of was ‘save my baby,’” Kaleb Bentham told CBS Local.

Bentham and his 90-pound pit bull Buddy were playing outside of their home in Nevada County when something suddenly did not sound right. Out of nowhere, Buddy soon found himself ace to face with a 350-pound bear.

“I heard a growl, looked about 75-100 feet down, and the bear was dragging him by his head, had his head in his mouth,” Benham recalled.

Many humans would have run away in terror, fearing for their own lives, but not Bentham. He knew that Buddy was counting on him, and he just had to save his life.

“I just ran down there, plowed into the bear, tackled it and grabbed it by the throat and started hitting it in the face and the eye until it let go,” Bentham remembered.

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Though Bentham was able to free Buddy, the dog was still severely injured. Frantic to find a vet, Bentham was horrified to discover that the one nearest him was closed due to COVID-19.

“My first thought was that I was going to lose him,” he said.

Thankfully, Bentham was eventually able to find Buddy medical attention, and the vets who examined him said that the dog needed staples, stitches and tubes inserted into his head to drain fluid.

“I just stood there and watched through the window for 3 1/2 for hours,” Benham said.

Buddy is since well on the road to recovery, but the problems for him and his owner may not be over, as the bear is still out there and seems to want revenge. In fact, Bentham said that the bear has come back to his house multiple times since the attack.

“It made an attack and had it’s food and it’s food got taken from it and it wants it back, I feel like,” he said.

In the end, Bentham loves Buddy with all his heart, and he says he’ll rescue him from a 350 pound bear again if he has to.

“If it was your kid, what would you do,” he explained. “That’s my kid, I would die for my dog.”