A golden retriever was injured by a rattlesnake while protecting its owner from the asp Friday as they were out hiking, according to the owner.

Paula Godwin was walking with Todd, her six-month-old golden retriever along a route they have gone on nearly every day, when the puppy shielded her from the venomous snake.

"It was a beautiful morning, but as we were walking down the hill, I literally almost stepped on a rattlesnake," she wrote on Facebook. "But my hero of a puppy Todd saved me. He jumped right in front of my leg were (sic) I surely would have got bit."

Godwin rushed Todd to a veterinarian who gave the puppy an anti-venom within about 10 minutes, she said.

Godwin shared the story and images of Todd’s swollen muzzle as he recovers.

“This is what a hero looks like,” she wrote.

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Helen Gilbert places flowers on her brother Eurie Martin’s grave at Camp Spring Baptist Church in Sandersville. Her brother died eight years ago. Three former Washington County deputies are accused of causing his death and are set to stand trial Monday. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez