HERO PUP TAKES ON BROWN
A HOPE ISLAND woman says her tiny chihuahua saved her from being bitten by an eastern brown after bravely tackling the dangerous snake.
Evangeline Lim, 54, said her pet dog Cooper wrestled with the venomous reptile, which appeared while she was hanging out washing.
“The snake was upside down and Cooper was on top of it and wrestling,” Ms Lim said.“He was obviously saving me from the snake.”
Cooper’s bravery protecting his owner cost him his life. The loyal 10-year-old succumbed to the effects of a snake bite just a few minutes later.
A HOPE Island family have been left heartbroken after their heroic chihuahua died saving its owner from a venomous snake.
Evangeline Lim, 54, said she was about to step outside with her washing basket last Tuesday when she heard 10year-old Cooper barking aggressively.
When she looked outside she saw the plucky pup was battling a dangerous brown snake.
“I yelled out twice, ‘come quick’ to my family,” she said.
“The snake was upside down and Cooper was on top of it and wrestling.
“He was obviously saving me from the snake.”
Ms Lim said her partner, Warrick Marshall, and her adult daughter managed to get Cooper safely back inside the house and stop the snake by placing a pot plant on top of it.
But within 10 minutes, Cooper had succumbed to a deadly bite.
“Cooper seemed fine,” Ms Lim said of the minutes leading to his death.
“He seemed totally fine, he wasn’t panting, he was just sitting there.”
Ms Lim said while Cooper didn’t appear to have been bitten, he disappeared shortly after the incident. The family found him cowering under a couch by the pool, visibly distressed.
“We rushed to get to the car to take him to the vet and my daughter was backing the car out ... but by this point he was already going into cardiac arrest,” she said.
“That’s literally in a 10minute period.”
Ms Lim said she had been inconsolable after Cooper’s sudden death.
She said her pet followed her everywhere, even going on boat trips with the family and accompanying her to the local gym.
Ms Lim said when Mr Marshall alerted security at their Riverleigh Dve gated estate that the venomous snake was in the area, they told her they had been spotting snakes every single day.
“I just think having a bit more awareness in the area would be great,” she said. “And if it’s that common to see a snake every day ... residents should be reminded.”
Local snake catcher Tony Harrison said while they hadn’t been collecting any extra eastern browns recently, they were fairly common in the region, including developed areas.
“I see them on my job every day,” he said.
“Reptiles are cold blooded animals and it’s coming up to peak season now.”
He said while no snakes were aggressive, eastern brown snakes had a “short fuse” when it came to being bothered and could lash out if provoked.
Mr Harrison advised that anyone who sees a snake should not bother it and should call a snake catcher.