California baw saves his pitbull from black bear by punching bear in the face

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A dog owner in California fought off a 350lb black bear that was attacking his beloved rescue pitbull by punching it in the face.

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Kaleb Benham, of Grass Valley, Nevada County, was at home on the day before Thanksgiving when he heard growls outside where Buddy had been playing.  

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Running to the rescue, he discovered his 90lb dog locked in the jaws of a giant black bear who was 'dragging him by his head' from around 75 to 100ft away. 

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'Honestly, the only thing I could think of was "save my baby",' he told CBS Sacramento. 

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Benham, who is originally from Sacramento, described how he ran full tilt at the bear to save his pet.

He then tackled the beast, grabbed it by the throat and punched it in the face and eyes until it dropped Buddy from its jaws.  Having miraculously fought off the attacker and while remaining uninjured himself, he faced a race against time to find a veterinarian to save the dog from some gruesome injuries.

Buddy suffered deep gashes near his eyes, teeth marks around his head and a puncture right through his lip.

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But he eventually found Mother Lode Veterinary Hospital, where Buddy underwent more than three hours of emergency surgery for his injuries, including stitches to his head, stapling on his ears and tubes to drain fluid from his head.

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But Buddy pulled through and is now making a speedy recovery. 

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They spent the day of Thanksgiving recovering in bed- feeling very thankful for each other.  

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