Rattlesnake bites dog that protects woman

A 6-month-old foster dog in Colorado is being called a hero.

Joshua Chavez, who was with the dog, told KMGH, "Guinness saw a threat to Jenna, saw Jenna freak out and just immediately jumped in and put himself in between her and the snake."

Guinness the hound dog was out walking a trail with the foster family's niece Jenna Castello and her friend Joshua Chavez. Castello tells KMGH what happened next.

Castello told KMGH: "He was immediately bitten twice. Once in the face and once in the foot. ... He was very sluggish. He seemed very out of it, not really knowing where he was."

When a dog is bitten by a rattlesnake, it's recommended to keep the animal calm because, as Tenaker Pet Care Center says, "The more blood circulation, the faster the toxin will spread."

Luckily Chavez knew what to do in this situation. He carried Guinness for about 25 minutes to the car.

Animal Medical Center of Southern California reports dogs are about 20 times more likely to be bit by poisonous snakes than people, and canines also have a greater risk of death from the venom.

Cameron Young, a worker at the center for snakes conservation told KUSA: "Dogs are the animals that get bit by snakes a lot. ... Running around with their nose on the ground, they'll put it right up into a snake, and the snake reacts."

The day after Guinness was bitten, his neck was swollen and measured out to be about the size of a softball, but he survived.

The vet gave Guinness IV's, pain medication and anti-venom -- and the former foster-dog now has a forever home. After the incident, a member of Guinness' foster family says there's "no doubt" she's keeping him.

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