Dogs are often devoted to their families, selflessly giving of themselves, even at the peril of their own life in some cases.

Pit bulls in general are very protective of their owners and by association their children. And in some cases, the child can be a complete stranger.

One pit bull, named Hurley, is proving just how much he loves children and would do anything to protect them.

A snake bite can be deadly to a child

Not all snakes are venomous, but the ones that are can be deadly. Take the copperhead for instance.

These snakes are common throughout North America, and while their bite is considered mild, it can be deadly given the right circumstances, especially when it comes to children.

A pit bull named Hurley comes to the rescue

In a status posted on Facebook, Stacie Rae English recounted how Hurley, her brother’s dog, had put his life at risk.

Hurley’s life-saving efforts took place while on a normal evening walk with his owner.

As they took their walk, Hurley’s owner took him off his leash so the pit bull could stretch his legs.

Before he knew what was going on Stacey’s brother heard a child screaming. That is when Hurley jumped into action, running toward the child.

At first, Hurley’s owner was confused as to what was going on.

Hurley was attacking a large copperhead snake

As Hurley’s owner finally caught up with him, he saw Hurley attacking and killing a large copperhead snake.

The pit bull had very likely saved the child’s life. Of course, Hurley’s owner had no chance to check if the child was okay as his family quickly rushed him to the hospital.

Hurley’s owner was unable to determine the child’s condition

“The little boy ran to his mother’s vehicle and drove off so fast that my brother was unable to find out any information on the little boy. (We are assuming because they left so fast that he was bitten and being rushed to the ER),” Stacie wrote on Facebook.

Hurley was rushed to the animal hospital

“My brother then went on to call animal control and the Highland Village Cops showed up to check out the scene. They asked to take a look at Hurley to see if he was bitten,” Stacie continued.

As it turned out, during the dramatic incident, Hurley was bitten by one of the copperheads in what turned out to be a nest found by the boy.

Rushed to the Denton Animal Emergency Hospital, Hurley was determined to be okay and returned home the next day.

Dogs and children

Hurley isn’t the only dog to have jumped in front of danger to protect a child.

Dog’s seem to have an innate drive to protect those around them, even if they don’t know the person.

Hurley’s actions just go to prove how brave of a dog he is.

As for the child involved in the snake attack, Stacie and her brother were unable to determine if he was okay and hoped to connect with his family to find out.

Check out the video below for more hero dogs protecting children from venomous snakes!

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Sources: CBS News, Facebook – Love What Matters