A Central Florida family mourned the loss of their pit bull, Zeus, who died Friday while protecting their two young boys from the venomous coral snake, according to local reports

Zeus, a 9-month-old dog, saw a coral snake that was approaching the boys, which the children didn't notice as they were washing Zeus' water dish at their home in Sumter County. The dog then started fighting off the snake and was unfortunately bitten four times in the process.

Zeus was rushed to a hospital and given two vials of anti-venom, but it was not enough to save its life.

"I just started bawling, my kids woke up and heard me crying and then they too started crying," Georgina Richardson, the mother of the two boys, said after she got the news that Zeus had passed.

She said that she hopes the incident will counter the negative stereotypes of pit bulls, which she described as a "gentle and caring breed."

"I can only hope that Zeus lives on as an ambassador for the pit bull breed and the wonderful family members they are," Richardson said.

Coral snakes are commonly found in the Southeastern U.S. and are one of the most venomous species in North America. They tend to be reclusive but their bites can cause paralysis and respiratory failure, with the symptoms taking a few hours to appear in humans.

There has only been one reported death from a coral snake bite in the U.S. since the development of the antivenom in the 1960s.

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