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.
Oh thank you for the wonderful ping! What a sweetie! (And the little girl is cute, too, LOL!)
You know, that blurry screen thing seems to be catchy.
(Sniff)
Of course Onyx will work out. The other two had basic manners inbred. If Onyx ever had any though, they were confined to the part that was removed when the tail that got docked. After a year, she seems to be developing a short list of things that are taboo, so I guess we should count our blessings. The line between owner and master is extremely blurry at times with this one though.
“Dogs are the most wonderful creatures God gave us.”
No doubt about it. I echo what Will Rogers said: “When I die, I don’t want to go to heaven if there are no dogs there. I want to go where the dogs are.”
We adopted a 1 year old border collie last year that also had been neglected, and I suspect abused. The dog is simply wonderful - smart, outgoing, and always wants to know where his sheep are (my children). The poor thing was so skinny when we got him, but he is all muscle now.
If anyone is looking for a dog, please consider the local shelter.
what a sweet story.
my family adopted two dogs-one male,one female(they’re part black lab,part doberman and something else),the poor things were left by the side of the road when they were puppies.we took them in and they,they have brought us such love (sadly we lost the female about a month ago, which we’re still grieving for her)
I know a certain hero doggie who gets steak several times a week for the rest of his life!
Wow!
Mark
And I want to nominate him to be an honorary Viking Kittie!
Maybe this is a new classification! “Viking Doggie!”
Mark
I swear, Australia MUST be the real world inspiration for Harry Harrison’s “Deathworld” series of novels! Just about everything there will kill you...
If you can avoid the poisonous snakes, you’ve got the Sydney Funnelweb Spider, then all sorts of seriously poisonous jellyfish, and the blue ringed octopus, and if you can avoid all those, you get to play with a great white shark!
Mark
Unfortunately there is a whole industry for just that reason.
What a great story, he repaid them after only 4 days for rescuing him.
So many abused dogs have issues, I can attest to that with mine. I can say definitely no one would break into my house without a fight and he’s only 17 pounds. :D
But, they all deserve love and kindness and they will repay you.
Dobes are fine pups. They look so fierce, and yet the ones I’ve met have always been these gonzo goofballs that would make even the goofiest, sweetest Golden Retriever appear to be a snarky, bad tempered junk yard dog. (Of course, they’re related to Rotts... of course... ;-)
Dog is God spelled backwards!
FANTASTIC JOB, KAHN!!!
DOGS RULE! <---my four Dachshunds MADE me type that ;----) (Dachshund smile)
These dogs never forget just who it was that saved them ... their loyalty knows no bounds. 
Dog earned his keep for life.
What a good boy.
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