Loyal Pit Bull puppy dies saving his family from venomous snake: 'They do not deserve the bad publicity they get'
A Pit Bull puppy in Florida has died after he was bitten by a coral snake while protecting his family. Zeus, an eight-month-old Pittie puppy drew his last breath at the Ocala Veterinary Hospital after he was bitten four times by the snake and was left fighting for his life.
In an incident that happened on Monday, September 23, in Sumter County at the family's home, two boys from the family, Oriley and Orion, were cleaning a dog water bowl when the snake came around.
They didn't see it but Zeus did, dog parent Gary Richardson said. He attacked the snake and was severely injured and taken to the hospital. Unfortunately, the anti-venom treatment could not save him. He passed away the next day.
Zeus did, however, try to show his love right till the end, mom Georgina Richardson said. "They got him stable enough for me to FaceTime after about an hour and a half which was spectacular because Gary and the kids wanted to speak with him."
"He kept falling asleep on FaceTime but tried hard to interact and show his human kids and Gary that he will fight this," she shared.
Gary told Fox 35 that the puppy was the most loyal dog he had ever known and he owed so much to him. "Pitbulls are the most loyal dog I know of, and I’ve had a lot of different animals in my life," he said.
"He’s been a member of the family," Georgina added saying that the entire family was very grateful to Zeus for his sacrifice.
"It just killed us. We just knew the antivenom was going to work. If you find (a pitbull) that's aggressive, most likely, it's because they weren't treated right," she said and added, "If you treat them right, they would give their life for you and I owe my son's life to him."
After the puppy was born in January, the family had shared a very strong bond, they said. The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the veterinary costs as well as to share the story of their beloved dog's loyalty.
"I can only hope that Zeus lives on as an ambassador for the pit bull breed and the wonderful family members that they are. They do not deserve the bad publicity they get because they would give their lives to save others," the mother said.