A pair of pit bulls are recovering after being bitten by a copperhead snake Sunday while protecting their owner’s grandchildren from the venomous reptile.
Melissa Butt’s grandchildren were playing in the backyard when the dogs started growling and barking at the snake, which was slithering dangerously close. Instead of leaving, the snake bit the dogs.
"They're great, gentle boys who put themselves in harm's way to protect the grandchildren," Butt told pet charity Frankie's Friends, who helped the family pay for the dogs medical treatments.
The dogs were taken to get emergency, life-saving treatment at the veterinarian.
"We give them medicine for pain and make them as comfortable as possible," Dr. Shelby Loos, with Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners, told WFLA.
Paco, 9 months old, was bitten on the leg, given a dose of antivenom and is back home recovering. Slayer, 3, who was bitten on his snout, was having a more difficult time recuperating. He needed two doses of antivenom and had trouble eating because of the location of the bite.
“They are my boys,” Butt said. “My protectors.”
