A golden retriever puppy is being hailed a hero after coming between his owner and a rattlesnake, and being bit in the process.
Arizona native Paula Goodwin was walking the golden retriever puppy, named Todd, along with her other golden, Copper, this past Friday in Phoenix.
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Todd and Copper. Image Credit: Paula Goodwin
“I decided to give my puppies a different walk,” she tells This Dog’s Life.
Taking them on a hiking trail with a paved road, it was when they were returning that danger struck.
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“I was walking on the paved road and did not see a snake by my foot,” says Goodwin, adding that rattlesnakes usually give off the warning “rattle” but did not happen in this case. “Todd was curious and bolted by my leg, and that was when he was hit by the adult rattlesnake.”
Todd. Image Credit: Paula Goodwin
Immediately, the puppy started crying and yelping.
“I picked him up, ran down the hill with my other dog Copper and got him to the hospital within about 10 minutes of him being bit,” she says.
Quickly given anti-venom, Todd is now on the mend.
Todd. Image Credit: Paula Goodwin
“”He is doing wonderful, he is acting like a normal puppy,” Goodwin says. “He is for sure my hero.”
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