Woman Saved From Rattlesnake by Her 'Sweet Hero' Puppy

A woman from Anthem, Arizona can thank her golden retriever puppy for saving her from a possible rattlesnake bite.

Paula Godwin decided to go out for an early morning hike on a paved Arizona trail with her dogs on Friday, June 29. It started well, until she almost stepped on a rattlesnake as they head down the hill. But her puppy named Todd stepped up and jumped in front of her leg before it was reached by the snake.

Both Godwin and Todd were saved, but the precious pooch received some wounds on his face.

The Arizona woman shared her experience on Facebook, which quickly became viral and shared over 3,000 times and generated over 2,400 times as of this writing.

She also followed up with another post to update her followers about Todd's condition. According to Godwin, the golden retriever puppy is doing well and healing faster than what she expected. She also thanked those who supported her and her "sweet hero."

In a more recent post, Godwin posted a photo of Todd hanging out at the park.

After Todd's heroic deed went viral, Godwin opted to launch a GoFundMe campaign to help other dogs and their owners who might also go through the same situation but has no capacity to have the dog treated with anti-venom shots.

"At less than a year old, brave Todd jumped on and tried to tackle the snake before it hit his momma Paula. Todd showed great bravery at less than a year old! We are raising money on Todd's behalf to provide help to other dogs and owners around the valley who may need help with paying bills for anti-venom as in this case!" the GoFundMe campaign description stated.

Godwin initially set a $500 goal in the crowdfunding effort, but it already surpassed its goal after receiving a total of $1,630.