Dog that saved little girl from rattlesnake goes home

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Haus, the German Shepherd that took three rattlesnake bites when he stepped between the reptile and his 7-year-old little girl, is finally going home.

The 2-year-old pup fought for his life after being bitten by the snake last week in the family's backyard.

"Just based on temperament, he was standing up for my daughter, he was standing between, he didn't budge," said Donya DeLuca, Molly's mother.

The snake managed to inject Haus with so much venom, the vets at Blue Pearl Veterinary Hospital had to give him a steady drip of antivenin instead of the more typical one or two doses. The bites on his legs were severe and vets had to repair muscle damage.

People across the nation and even the world rallied for Haus as he made his recovery and a GoFundMe page set up to help pay his medical bills raised more than $52,000.

Friday, Haus will receive the "Heroic Dog Award," from PETA, which will also be sending him a much-deserved doggie bag full of treats.

Haus' family said they were still unsure of how much Haus' care at BluePearl would cost, but were sure plenty from donations they received would be left over to donate to charities that help animals like Haus. Two charities already benefiting from those donations were Heidi's Legacy Dog Rescue and Frankie's Friends.

BluePearl's pet food partners, Mars Petcare, also announced as Haus was leaving the hospital, it would donate a year's worth of food to Heidi's Legacy on Haus' behalf. 

Haus emerged from the animal hospital Thursday to a crowd of supporters and media, wishing him well during the second phase of his recovery. 

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