Chihuahua saves baby from snake

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MASONVILLE, Colo., July 23 (UPI) -- A couple living on a farm near Masonville, Colo., said their 1-year-old grandson was rescued from a rattlesnake by the family's chihuahua.

Monty and Denise Long said a rattlesnake on their backyard had lunged for baby Booker West, but he was saved from the animal's fangs when 5-pound, 1-year-old chihuahua Zoey threw herself in the path of the snake, taking the bite on her head and face, the Loveland (Colo.) Daily Reporter-Herald reported.

"She got in between Booker and the snake, and that's when I heard her yipe," Monty Long said.

"(Zoey) took the bite for him," he said. "If I hadn't been paying attention to her yipe telling me something was wrong, (Booker) would have been next."

The Longs said Zoey was rewarded for her efforts with a trip to the veterinarian's office to reduce the swelling of her head, which had reached the size of a grapefruit. They said she nearly lost an eye to the snake's fangs.

"Once (Zoey) could see (after the swelling went down), she was following Booker around," Denise said. "She had snake on her mind."