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Pit Bull Fights Off Shark To Save Its Beloved Owner

Pit Bull Fights Off Shark To Save Its Beloved Owner

James White pulled in a 180cm shark, however when it latched onto his leg, his legendary Darby came to his rescue.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

There have been plenty of stories over the years of pet owners bravely putting themselves in the line of danger in order to save their beloved animal.

Whether it's the bloke who punched a kangaroo that was squaring up against his dog or the elderly man who copped a pretty severe munch to the arm after a goanna ripped his pooch apart - these people are bloody heroes.

But you rarely, if at all, hear stories where animals put their bodies on the line.

Well, let us introduce you to Darby, who saved his owner from a pretty severe looking shark attack in California.

NBC

Fisherman James White was enjoying a fun day on the shore at Bodega Bay in Sonoma County California when he got a nibble on his line. He spent 10 minutes reeling in his sea monster, which ended up being a 180cm long sevengill shark.

Seemingly impressed with his catch, he held it up to unhook it, but the shark twisted and fell onto the ground.

Probably realising it had one fight left, the shark sank its teeth into James' leg and held on for dear life.

"Immediately there was blood everywhere, the first bite punctured an artery," he told NBC.

Peter Southwood/Creative Commons

"The pressure was intense."

James started yelling to nearby fishermen, however they were a couple hundred metres away and time was of the essence.

Darby, the 45kg pit bull was in James' car and when it heard the commotion, it leapt through the gap in the window and came to it's owner's aid.

The pit bull decided to fight fire with fire and sank its teeth into the shark's gills.

NBC

"And I told him, 'No back off' and then [Darby] repositioned and grabbed it by the tail," said White. "He literally ran up the hill with it and pulled it off my leg."

Eventually, the shark let go and James flicked it back into the ocean and it swam away.

"If it wasn't for him I would have been a lot worse...He's been a part of the family from day one. Just now a little more," James added.

If you needed another reason why dogs are man's best friend then this is as close as you'll probably come. What a bloody legendary effort from Darby. No doubt it'll be getting all the good treats for the next few months.

Featured Image Credit: NBC

Topics: Community, Animals