Pitbull Passed Away Protecting Two Children From A Poisonous Snake

A Florida family is grieving the loss of their 9-month-old pit bull dog that died in the backyard of their house in Sumter, Florida, while defending two young children from a poisonous snake.

The loss of Zeus, their brave cub, earlier this week left the Richardson family “still devastated,” the family said in a statement to CBS News.

The youngest members of this family, Oriley and Orion, were outside cleaning Zeus’s water dish when Zeus spotted the coral snake and started to battle. The dog was not as fortunate, but the kids were uninjured.

Small, vividly colorful, and extremely deadly are coral snakes. They are thought to be less harmful than rattlesnakes despite having the second-strongest venom of any snake, according to Live Science.

As Gary Richardson stated on WOFL-TV:

He was bitten four times as he suddenly started biting the snake that was close to my son.

The family rushed Zeus to the doctor right away, and at first they thought giving him the antidote would help his condition. He passed away the next day, Oriley’s birthday, nevertheless.

Zeus, according to Georgina Richardson, was a member of her family and was born on January 1. She is devastated by the death of her beloved pet.

She uttered:

“I am appreciative that he sacrificed his life for our kids. He will be remembered for the numerous hearts he has won over in this day and age.