A Doberman likely saved an Australian toddler’s life when he grabbed her and threw her from the path of a poisonous king brown snake.
Seventeen-month-old Charlotte Svilicic was playing in her family’s garden when her dog, Khan, began acting aggressively and attempting to push her, according to The Advertiser. When she didn’t move, he grabbed her by her diaper and threw her to the side.
“If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it,” Catherine, Charlotte’s mother, told The Advertiser. “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 meter.”
It took Catherine a moment to realize what was going on.
“I realized quickly it was a snake and Khan had been trying to get in between her and the snake before he threw her,” she said.
During the struggle, Khan was bitten by the snake, and he ran inside the house before collapsing. He was administered an anti-venom shot in time, however, and managed to survive the bite.
If the story wasn’t incredible enough, it turns out that the Svilicics had adopted Khan, who was abandoned by a previous owner, only four days before the snake incident.
“When [Doberlinling Boarding Kennels owner] Kerry Kinder rescued him, he was starving, had broken ribs and had been beaten,” Catherine said. “He was an abused dog. It was borderline on whether or not he should be put down because he was in such a bad way.”
Now, the Svilicics plan to give Khan the kind of life he deserves.
“If Khan wants a gold bowl, Khan gets it,” Catherine said. “We owe him for the rest of his life.”
The story captured the attention of local media, and soon the Svilicics were receiving calls from news agencies across the country, all of them eager to cover Khan’s heroic actions.
“Khan’s a star,” Catherine said, according to News.com.
Sources: The Advertiser, News.com / Photo credit: PB Media via Dog Heirs
