Dogs are such incredible, heroic animals. We’ve seen so many stories of dogs stepping up to help their loved ones, even if it means putting themselves in harm’s way.
Many times, dogs have saved the day by protecting people from poisonous snakes. Dogs can often detect snakes on the ground before their human owners can, saving them from a trip to the hospital or worse.
And recently, one dog heroically protected a puppy from a venomous snake, even if it meant getting some painful bites herself.
Madeline Mills, a paramedic from Queensland, Australia, is the owner of two dogs, a five-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier named Milly and a 5-month-old puppy named Tonka.
And one frightening recent incident proved how much the older dog cares about her “little brother.”
On September 6, the two dogs were attacked by a venomous brown snake in their backyard, according to 9News.
Thankfully, Madeline was home and found them in time: Milly had clearly gotten the worst of the attack, and was already reacting to the venom.
She was rushed to the vet, in critical condition.
Milly had been bitten repeatedly on her neck and legs. Vets gave her antivenom, and placed her on IV. She had to stay several days, as vets were concerned about organ failure.
Tonka, however, was perfectly fine: the smaller dog did not have any poisonous snake bites — likely because her “big sister” Milly had stepped up to protect the puppy from the attack.
“She seemed to have protected her little brother Tonka, who didn’t get any venom,” Madeline told 9News.
Milly is still recovering, but after the scary ordeal it seems that she will make a recovery. According to updates from Madeline on a local Facebook group, Milly has returned home from the vet, four days after the attack.
“Milly has come home today. Such a blessing,” she wrote. “Tonka is sad she can’t play as much and is on strict rest instructions but at least she’s home.”
“She is in good spirits and staying strong.”
It’s a happy ending to a scary story: Milly saved her little brother’s life, and thankfully survived her own attack.
But it’s easy to imagine how things could’ve gone wrong, and Madeline used the story to remind locals to be on the lookout for brown snakes in their yards.
“As a paramedic I’ve seen a fair share of brown snake bites,” she told 9News. “It’s so frightening when it’s in your own home and to hurt my fur babies is a different story.”
“If this was a child outside unattended for a few minutes you could only imagine. Like any other Australian, you just have to be careful.” The snake that attacked Milly and Tonka has now been professionally removed from the yard.
Thank you, Milly, for stepping up to save your little brother from a snake attack. We’re so glad you’re making a recovery!
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