Courageous Cavoodles!

Banksia Park Cavoodle & ‘Cousin’ Cavoodle Save The Day…

Liberty and her ‘fur-cousin’ Buzzy recently became unknowing heroes after a slithery encounter in the backyard of a property in Sanctuary Lakes, Melbourne. Both brave Cavoodles fought off a deadly Tiger snake, which inturn saved their human family from potential danger! Buzzy (Liberty’s ‘fur-cousin’ and bigger Cavoodle) was the first to take-on the snake and slay it! Liberty, 3AW Radio presenter Stephen Quartermain’s 9-month-old Banksia Park Cavoodle followed the lead and helped ‘finish up’. Unfortunately, poor Buzzy was bitten several times during the ordeal but Liberty was lucky to escape injury! Both dogs were checked and treated at an Animal Hospital straight away and thankfully Buzzy is now on the mend.

Read below for the interview with Liberty’s family…

According to DELWP Victoria, Tiger snakes are considered to be one of the most venomous snakes in the world! They are actually quite popular along the South-East coast of Australia and particularly Melbourne suburbs. Although they are mainly ground dwellers they are also confident swimmers as well. Like most snakes, they are most active during warm sunny weather. Even though Tiger snakes and snakes, in general, have a bad reputation they are still an important part of the ecosystem and help keep down rodent numbers.

To help protect your family and dog it is best to reduce the chance of a slithery encounter by keeping grass short, removing piles of backyard clutter and staying alert when walking your dog in the park especially during warm weather, near water sources and or around long grass and hollow logs!

Living and working out in the bush here in Stradbroke, Victoria, we’re all too familiar with snakes! We have dozens of sightings per year, some coming within metres of our dogs and house! Strategies we use to keep these slippery critters away and our dogs safe include:

installing snake-wire along the bottom of our dog pens
regular dog/pen inspections by our team
keeping the pens and surrounding yard clutter-free to reduce snake ‘homes’
mowing long grass and controlled burn-offs to keep dense shrubbery low.
educating team members about watching for snakes and wearing correct PPE

If bitten by a snake, call 000 or if your dog is bitten call an animal hospital or Vet immediately!

DELWP Victoria’s Tiger Snake Fact Sheet

Liberty’s family, have kindly taken the time to answer our questions about the snake ordeal:

We are very proud of Liberty and Buzzy for their bravery, taking on the Tiger Snake and protecting your family!

Did you know at the time that it was a snake and or that it was deadly?

I was upstairs at my Grandma’s house with Liberty, I then went downstairs looking for Buzzy. They have a patio with grass surrounding it and I saw him flinging something around in his mouth, my immediate thought was that it was a stick but as I approached him I realised that It was a snake. My immediate thought was of course to panic, it is a generalized idea to think that all snakes are dangerous, thus leading me to panic even more. But no at the time I didn’t realize that it was a tiger snake, but if it did I think I would have panicked even more. When Liberty went outside with Buzzy I wasn’t sure if the snake was dead or alive.

Was the Tiger Snake hiding in the grass, under an object or in plain sight!?

I was upstairs at the beginning so I didn’t know exactly where the snake was. But at the end of the day, my whole family inspected the backyard, and we have reason to believe that it went through a hole in a fence, also because behind it is a river with high grass which is a prime spot for snakes.

I’m sure you were very worried but proud of Liberty and Buzzy! Did they receive lots of cuddles and or doggy treats?

Not at the time, they had snake bits around their mouth and fur, and truthfully my immediate thought was to make sure that we can get them both to the animal Hospital as quickly as possible. In the car, I comforted Buzzy by scratching his favourite spot behind his ear and after Liberty was dismissed I gave her the biggest cuddle of relief.

Is Buzzy doing well now after being bitten and has Liberty and your family recovered from the ordeal?

Buzzy is on bed rest for 6-8 weeks as the venom can reactivate during this time. This means no walks or ball games which he dearly loves. He is eating well, but sleeping much more than previously but this is to be expected.

It was very stressful for everybody! when you come down from such a high of adrenaline and stress, you can feel quite tired and emotional, which I definitely did. It took me a few days to fully recover. I don’t think I will ever react the same way to a snake after the attack. We knew we had to act quickly because it was a life or death situation. I was scared to go outside for a few days thinking there could be more snakes. I’ve recovered but will not forget.

What advice would you give to other puppies and dog owners out there if they encounter a creature that looks like a snake?

Get inside! 100% try to avoid any contact with any creature that looks like a snake. You may be curious but it’s not worth the risk. Especially now in Spring, as they are most active. If you have any reason to believe that your dog has been near a snake, take it to the vet, it is better safe than sorry.