Durban — Two family dogs were killed in an encounter with a black mamba in Wood Grange, Hibberdene, recently.
The dogs fought back, as the snake had visible puncture wounds.
Susan Fourie said that on Friday, her husband, Gert, went outside with the dogs, six-year-old miniature dachshund Liesl and four-year-old Jack Russell Lala, to fetch something from his sister, Arina, outside, when Gert heard a ruckus from the dogs. He thought Liesl had just caught something, but Arina encouraged him to take a closer look.
“Both dogs threw a snake in front of him,” Susan said. “The snake went into the storeroom and the dogs went after it.”
She said Gert saw it was a big snake.
Susan said the dogs were attacked. The Jack Russell became stiff and started vomiting and the decision was made to take it to the vet. They did not realise the dachshund had been bitten too until noticing it had trouble breathing.
She said the vet is half an hour away.
“Lala died in the car on the way to the vet and Liesl died in the vet’s arms,” Susan said.
She said that while Gert and Arina rushed the dogs to the vet, she called South Coast snake catcher Sarel van der Merwe.
“The snake could have been on the gate because it was the same colour as the gate,” Susan said.
“The little angels wanted to protect their dad. Dad was in danger and he was saved by the little babies.
“They really saved my husband.”
Susan said Lala was rescued at six months old from the SPCA, while Liesl was a puppy at six weeks old when they got her.
“We’re broken. They were our children. They slept with us and went with us everywhere. If there was someone at the gate, they would get there first. They were busy dogs, like little children in the house,” Susan said.
“We feel a big emptiness at this stage. We’re very upset. My heart is sore.”
Van der Merwe said Friday was a sad day for Susan and her husband after losing two of their dogs from a black mamba bite.
He got a call on Friday morning and the homeowner said they were rushing their dogs for medical care because they were bitten by a snake.
However, the husband called his wife and said the dogs had died.
Van der Merwe said that on the property, he had a look in the garage/storeroom and was shown where the snake was last seen.
“I moved things around and there it was and I grabbed it,” Van der Merwe said. “An easy catch.”
He said he noticed that the snake had been bitten.
“It had two puncture wounds. Dr Leon Bruggemann offered to look at the snake in the morning, in case she needed any treatment.
“The next morning, I had a look and the wounds had closed up, so I released it,” Van der Merwe said.
Commenting on the incident, a fellow snake rescuer from Cape Town, Will de Meyer, said: “That venom is insane and so fast. Poor dogs.”
“I had a dog die in my arms from a Cape cobra bite and it was a small snake as well. Both mamba and Cape cobra just have the same potency and are fast-acting.”
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