US News

Hero dog saves fisherman owner who was bitten by shark

This dog really is man’s best friend.

A California fisherman was saved by his pit bull named Darby after a 6-foot shark chomped on the man’s leg, prompting the fearless pooch to fight off the sea creature, according to a report.

James White, of Rohnert Park, was fishing from the shore at Bodega Bay in Sonoma County last month when he managed to catch a sevengill shark, NBC Bay Area reported.

White told the news outlet it took him about 10 minutes to reel the shark in.

“The only way I think I was able to get the line back is because it was swimming towards me,” he said.

When White 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.”

An injured White desperately tried to free himself from the shark’s bite, to no avail.

That’s when Darby — who was sitting in White’s car up a hill nearby — suddenly sprang into action. The pooch managed to open the car door when he heard his owner yell for help.

The 1-year-old, 100-pound dog ran toward the shark, biting the big fish in its gills, which caused the shark to plunge its teeth even deeper into White, according to the news outlet.

“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.”

White told NBC Bay Area that he then threw the shark back into the water and it swam away.

The fisherman acknowledged the outcome could’ve been far worse had his dog — nicknamed “House Hippo” — not been there.

“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.”