Fearless dog saves woman from deadly cottonmouth snake – and almost dies
MICHAEL WALSH
Man’s best friend doubles as a doggone good bodyguard.
Gudrun Mastriano of Kissimmee, Fla., was walking her daughter’s black lab Dante home when a venomous cottonmouth snake, mere inches away, attacked her. The protective canine lunged in front of Mastriano, captured the serpent in his mouth and dragged it away. But during the fight, the snake’s fangs sunk into Dante’s snout and legs. “It could have been me,” said Mastriano. “I would have died.” Dante’s snout swelled up to about 17 inches as the deadly venom settled in his body, according to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. “I thought he looked like a little baby hippopotamus,” said Mastriano.