My saviour: Seventeen-month-old Charlotte Svilicic with Khan the doberman who rescued her from a deadly brown snake.
Posted on 10/30/2007 7:10:44 PM PDT by Stoat
Dog saves girl from snake
31Oct07
My saviour: Seventeen-month-old Charlotte Svilicic with Khan the doberman who rescued her from a deadly brown snake.
A NEGLECTED doberman adopted by a loving family last week has saved their toddler from being bitten by a deadly king brown snake.
Seventeen-month-old Charlotte Svilicic was playing in the garden of the family’s Atherton home on Monday when Khan the doberman grabbed her by the back of the nappy and threw her clear of the approaching snake.
The heroic pooch was bitten by the snake after saving the toddler but is recovering after a dose of anti-venom.
In an amazing twist, Khan’s breeder revealed his grandfather had saved a child in similar circumstances.
Charlotte’s mother Catherine Svilicic yesterday told The Cairns Post Khan had saved the child’s life and the family would be forever indebted.
"If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it," Ms Svilicic said.
"Khan was really concentrating and was acting aggressive towards Charlotte and kept trying to nudge her but it wasn’t working, so he grabbed her by the back of the nappy and threw her more than a metre.
"Charlotte looked pretty shocked and then Khan screamed.
"I realised quickly it was a snake and Khan had been trying to get in between her and the snake before he threw her."
After being bitten, Khan ran inside and collapsed. He was given a shot of anti-venom by a vet and had a tough night on Monday but managed to survive and eat a large breakfast yesterday, despite the ordeal.
Mrs Svilicic said the family had only had Khan for four days, and they were moved by Khan’s selfless and protective act.
"When Kerry Kinder (Doberinling Boarding Kennels owner) rescued him, he was starving, had broken ribs and had been beaten – he was an abused dog," she said.
"It was borderline on whether or not he should be put down because he was in such a bad way."
Mrs Svilicic said Khan would spend the rest of his life in luxury.
"If Khan wants a gold bowl, Khan gets it. We owe him for the rest of his life,’’ she said.
Mrs Kinder bred Khan and rescued him after discovering he was being mistreated.
"He was starving for attention and wanted to be loved because he came from an abused home, so I’m not surprised about what he has done at his new home."
An Atherton snake expert believes Khan escape death because the snake was not able to inject a large amount of venom.
Hero Doggie Ping :-)
woof woof bump
That little girl is a cutie!!!
Good Dog!!! What a wonderful story.
I absolutely love dogs, they are to be charished. And anyone who would abuse one should be put in jail for a long time. If you abuse a dog, you will abuse anything. Most dogs will fight to the death for their ‘owners’, we really aren’t owners, we are the servants to our 3 doggie babies.
No kidding.
Why is my screen all blurry?
Good dog!!
Now I wish they could catch the SNAKE that had abused such a good dog as Khan.
I love Dobies!
Good boy!
Dog lover ping!
ping
LOL - love that part - what a smart dog - deserves the best for the rest of his life...
wow - champions! Thanks
I had dogs for 25 years...my sister had a Doberman that was the biggest wimp. It would run upstairs and hide if someone rang the doorbell. My sis never hit or harmed the dog in any fashion, it just was scared of its own shadow. I liked watching movies at her house...it would crawl into my lap...I really loved that dog(rip, it’s been gone for a good 10 years now).
My current situation isn’t suitable for a dog, wife and I simply don’t have the space in this house which is under 1000SQ. I would be concerned if the dog was chained outside as my neighbor had his “rat dog” who was staked out eaten by a bear(like a goat in Jurassic Park). I realize a lab or similar sized dog isn’t such a target, I am still worried.
Wow, 20 out of 80 species of Queensland’a snakes are dangerous.
Man’s (and woman’s) best friend.
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