ANTHEM, AZ (RNN) – The owner of a golden retriever in Arizona has deemed her dog a hero after she says he jumped in front of her to protect her from a rattlesnake, taking a bite to the face in the process.
Paula Godwin wrote in a Facebook post that she was hiking Friday morning with her two dogs, Copper and Todd, when she almost stepped on a rattlesnake.
Todd, who is less than 1-year-old, jumped in front of his owner’s leg and was bitten on his muzzle. Godwin believes it’s because of Todd’s quick actions that she was not bitten.
The dog's owner told KTAR News that she picked the puppy up and ran down the hill with Copper. Less than 20 minutes later, they arrived at an animal hospital, where Todd received antivenom.
Todd has recovered well, and his swelling has gone down, according to Godwin.
She posted photos of the injured puppy to Facebook as a warning to other dog owners, she told KTAR.
The story was soon being shared all over Twitter when the We Rate Dogs account tweeted a tribute to Todd on Sunday.
After Todd’s story took off, Godwin posted a link to a GoFundMe page, which is raising money on Todd’s behalf for other dogs in the Anthem area who may need antivenom.
This is Todd. He saved his human from a rattlesnake yesterday. A true h*ckin hero. He’s expected to make a full recovery and has been rewarded our fifth ever 15/10 pic.twitter.com/TsS6isI0Ew
— WeRateDogs™ (@dog_rates) July 1, 2018
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