Usually, her mother never called her while she was looking after the kids. That day, when her phone rang in the middle of the day, and she realized it was her mother, she instantly knew that something had to be wrong.
As soon as she answered the phone, she heard her panicked tone. To make matters even worse, she could hear Molly crying in the background. She packed up her things and came rushing home as fast as she could. But what exactly had the dog done?
Family Pet
When her 13-year-old dog passed away, Donya DeLuca was heartbroken. Growing up in Florida, Donya was a mother of three, and she’d had the family dog since he was just a pup. She couldn’t imagine replacing him.
But one day, she saw a two-year-old German Shepherd named Haus that desperately needed a home, and she just couldn’t resist. All she had to do now was convince Adam, her husband, who had reservations about the dog.
Advice
“He looked at me like, ‘Are you serious?’ But I just couldn’t pass up the chance to rescue him,” Donya said in an interview.
Adam wasn’t sure about the whole thing. He felt that he hadn’t finished grieving their previous pet, but he was also hesitant about getting a fully-grown rescue after friends said it wasn’t the best idea, considering they had young kids. He would regret not taking his friends’ advice.
He Fell In Love
When Adam first saw Haus, his reservations all immediately disappeared. He immediately fell in love with him and he knew that his wife was right. They had to adopt him, there was no other option.
Their children, seven-year-old Molly and four-year-old Joey, quickly became completely enamored with Haus (which is German for “house”). This made Adam feel like they’d made the right decision in adopting him. He had no idea what drama would follow.
Protective
Before Haus became their pet, he was a former military dog. Donya assumed that he always stayed very close to the kids because that’s what he was used to.
He was so protective of the kids, he would even scout out the garden before the kids could go out to play, making sure it was all clear and safe for them to play in. But soon enough, Donya would discover what Haus was really anxious about.
Two Months Later
Two months after they had gotten him, Donya was finally comfortable enough to allow Haus to play with the children in the garden while she and Adam went to work, leaving them in the care of their grandmother.
But one afternoon, Haus seemed to act particularly suspicious. He was doing extra little checks around the yard, it was like he was checking to see who might be watching them. It was extremely odd.
In The Blink Of An Eye
Molly was on the grass, happily playing when it happened. It happened in the blink of an eye, but to Donya’s mother, it felt like she was watching the incident in slow motion.
When Donya answered her mother’s call, she was suddenly forced to question everything about the dog she’d grown to love as much as her previous pet. But she had no idea what the full story was.
Putting Her Foot Down
Donya knew that no matter what, she wouldn’t be able to get home fast enough to do anything. But despite this, she put her foot down as she tried her best to make sense of her mother’s frantic and confusing explanation.
Just minutes earlier, Molly had looked up from her favorite toy, just to see the giant hound running toward her, and then, it was already too late. He was in attack mode, and no one could stop him now.
Too Late
Molly’s grandma had a gut feeling just then and glanced out the doorway, that’s when she was met with a sight that she would never forget. But before she could do anything to stop it, it was too late.
Molly was laying on her back, pinned down by the huge German Shepard. She bellowed Haus’ name as she watched in horror.
Too Far
He stopped right in front of Molly, his teeth bared. Her grandma was still too far away. She was on the other side of the tard, trying to do anything but watch what the dog would do next.
As Haus turned, Molly fell backward onto her backpack. What was he doing? And why was he so fixated on what was in the bushes?
Snapping
The dog leaped off Molly and lunged forward, his mouth opening with a flash of white as he struck his target, again and again, recoiling after each audible snap of his jaws.
Grandma DeLuca reached the scene as Haus let out a sound that chilled her bones. But she had to get to Molly.
All Her Fault
Grandma DeLuca’s mind raced at a million miles a minute as she ran. She had heard of dogs just snapping, but could this have happened to Haus? She couldn’t help but feel like it was all her fault.
She should have been paying more attention. She shouldn’t have let Molly go outside alone. But had they all been so overwhelmed by the loss of Bailey that they had refused to see what kind of dog he really was? Then, she saw it.
Snake!
The snake was poised to attack Molly, but its plans were dashed as Haus stood gallantly in front of her. She froze the second she realized the reality of the situation.
Slowly, Molly backed away from the dangerous reptile, not wanting to startle it into attacking. But the snake knew what it wanted and quickly made its move.
Priorities
Grandma DeLuca had one thing on her mind and one thing only. She scooped Molly up and ran to safety. She checked her all over until she was satisfied that she was unscathed.
She was surprised to see that there wasn’t a single scratch on the child. But when they turned their attention to Haus, grandma DeLuca screamed.
The Culprit
Molly had just escaped from the most dangerous snake in North America - the eastern diamondback snake. With a heavy, powerful body and long fangs, these rattlesnakes’ bites have a thirty percent chance of being fatal to a human.
Although these snakes are not usually aggressive, this one had a protective Haus to contend with. Haus had been shielding Molly from the danger and had sacrificed himself. But would he pay the ultimate price?