There is no doubt that pets will go to extremes to protect their owners, even at the cost of their own lives. Whether this is pure instinct or something far deeper, we may never know. Either way, our pets spend most of their lives showing us how much they love us.
Here’s a story of one family who will be forever grateful for their pet Khan, a Doberman.
Khan’s Troubled Past and Adoption
Catherine Svillicic of Atherton, Australia, adopted the dog, knowing it had a troubled past. One has to wonder what kind of reservations she may have had about bringing such a dog into her home, if any. Because the dog was to be a companion to her young daughter, Charlotte.
Khan was rescued from an abusive home.
Adelaide Now reports,
“When Kerry Kinder (Doberinling Boarding Kennels owner) rescued him, he was starving, had broken ribs, and had been beaten – he was an abused dog. It was borderline on whether or not he should be put down because he was in such a bad way,” Svilicic said.
Yet while she was aware of his troubled past and violent tendencies, she still brought him home—a decision she will never regret.
Khan Proves True to His Breed
Often dogs that have been abused turn mean. But maybe Svilicic was aware of the inbred tendencies of the breed. According to the American Kennel Club,
“This incomparably fearless and vigilant breed stands proudly among the world’s finest protection dogs.”
Additionally, their temperament is listed as being,
“Loyal, fearless, and alert.”
In Khan’s case, this all proved true. He rose against his early life and became the dog he was meant to be—to the family that finally took him in and taught him what the life of a dog should really be like.
Khan Earns His Places in His Family’s Hearts Forever
Khan wasn’t even with his new forever family for more than a week when the unthinkable happened.
Since Doberman’s do have the reputation of being aggressive as well, and likely due to his past, Svilicic did keep an eye on the two. Which is why she was quick to notice something odd.
Charlotte, who was 17 months old at the time, was playing in the yard with Khan, when her mother noticed the dog’s sudden strange behavior.
The Daily Mail reports,
“Khan was really concentrating and was acting aggressively towards Charlotte-and kept trying to nudge her but it wasn’t working,” Svilicic said. “So he grabbed her by the back of the nappy and threw her over his shoulder more than a meter like she was a rag doll.”
We can only imagine the horror she must have felt at that moment. A horror that would have changed and grown when she realized what was really going on.
Khan had spotted a king brown snake, which is one of the world’s most venomous snakes—the third most to be exact. When he couldn’t get the child out of the way, he took matters into his own teeth, picked her up, and threw her out of harm’s way.
It was at this point that the snake sprang.
“Charlotte looked pretty shocked and then Khan screamed. I realized quickly it was a snake and Khan had been trying to get in between her and the snake before he threw her,” Adelaide Now reported.
Khan the Hero Gets a Hero’s Treatment
By putting himself between the child and the snake, Khan risked his own life. The scream Svilicic says he gave was because he was bitten. He ran into the house and collapsed, but thankfully a visit to the vet eventually made all things right. He received anti-venom treatment, and while he had a rough night where things were touch and go, he made it through and had a huge breakfast in the morning.
A local snake expert said the only thing that saved his life was that the snake hadn’t been able to inject enough venom when it bit.
The Svilicic family promised that Khan would live like a king from then on.
“If Khan wants a gold bowl, Khan gets it. We owe him for the rest of his life,’’ Mrs. Svilicic said.
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