Pet Dog Fights Shark That Bit Owner's Leg During Fishing

A heroic dog saved his owner's life by fighting off a 6-foot shark that was chomping on the California fisherman's leg. According to reports, the fearless act of the one-year-old pit bull won several hearts.

James White, of Rohnert Park, was fishing from the shore at Bodega Bay in Sonoma County when he was attacked by a sevengill shark that he had reeled in, NBC Bay Area reported Monday.

“The only way I think I was able to get the line back is because it was swimming towards me,” White said about the time taken for him to reel in the shark. According to White, when he went to remove the hook from the shark, it twisted and bit down on his ankle.

“Immediately there was blood everywhere. The first bite punctured an artery,” White told NBC. “The pressure was intense.”

White desperately tried to free himself from the shark’s bite, but did not succeed. This was when his dog managed to get out of the car he was in and came to the man's rescue. The 100-pound dog ran toward the shark, biting the big fish in its gills.

“And I told him, ‘No, back off,’ and then [Darby] repositioned and grabbed it by the tail,” White told the local news outlet. “He literally ran up the hill with it and pulled it off my leg.”

White said he then threw the shark back into the water and it swam away. The fisherman said that the incident could have turned fatal for him had his dog not intervened.

“He’s been a part of the family from day one. Just now a little more,” White said. “If it wasn’t for him, I would have been a lot worse.”

In another similar incident where a pet dog turned savior, a canine saved its owner from a leopard in Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. The big cat had entered their home and leaped on the woman when she opened the storeroom door where the animal was hiding. The woman tried to free herself from the animal’s clutches but was severely injured. Her pet dog ran to rescue her when he heard the owner screaming. The canine first barked ferociously at the leopard before diving on it and attacking it. The leopard immediately fled from the scene.