Paula Godwin is the proud owner of two Golden Retrievers, Copper and Todd. Copper has been with Godwin’s family for years, but she only recently got Todd, who’s still a puppy.
Godwin loves going on hikes near her home in Sedona with Copper and Todd, and both dogs are always equally as excited for their walks. At the end of June 2018, Godwin went on one of these hikes with her pups. The hike started out well, with both dogs enjoying themselves.
A few minutes into the walk, things took a scary turn when a rattlesnake slithered in front of Godwin.
Godwin didn’t see the rattlesnake, and she almost stepped on it. But before she could, Todd jumped in front of her. And then, the rattlesnake bit Todd instead of Godwin.
Godwin rushed her puppy to the vet, where he quickly received an anti-venom treatment.
The dog’s face swelled up, but thankfully he didn’t suffer any other adverse effects from the bite. The vet assured Godwin that her little hero would be alright!
Godwin posted about the terrifying incident on Facebook. She wrote:
“He jumped right in front of my leg where I surely would have got bit. This is what a hero looks like please say a little prayer for my sweet hero.”
Godwin’s post about the incident went viral. Across social media, people were amazed by Todd’s bravery.
Popular Twitter account We Rate Dogs shared a photo of Todd, and it was liked over 550,000 times. Everyone thanked Todd for saving his owner!
This is Todd. He saved his human from a rattlesnake yesterday. A true h*ckin hero. He’s expected to make a full recovery and has been rewarded our fifth ever 15/10 pic.twitter.com/TsS6isI0Ew
— WeRateDogs (@dog_rates) July 1, 2018
One person was so moved by Todd’s story, they started a GoFundMe to pay for his recovery. Since Todd’s story had been shared so widely, they quickly raised more than they were initially asking for.
Godwin was shocked to see how viral her post went. A few days after the incident, she posted a thank you message on her Facebook page:
“Todd’s doing so well he is a wonder to me how he is healing. Just a thank you to all the support. Your kindness and support is truly a blessing.”
Todd is thankfully feeling better. The swelling in his face has gone down, and he has more energy.
About a week after the rattlesnake bite, Godwin took the dog to the park. He loved getting to run around and play again!
Todd is a brave dog who immediately jumped into action to save his owner. We’re so glad that this amazing pup is going to be okay!
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