A pet dog is being hailed as a hero after protecting a two-and-a-half-year-old girl from a tiger snake attack in Victoria.
Mack the boxer killed the snake in the Shaw family's backyard, but was bitten several times in the showdown and is now fighting for his life.
His owners, Leigh and Jo Shaw, set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for Mack's vet bills, and within a few days donations reached their $6000 goal.
Mack is now on the mend but it will be a long road to recovery, the Shaws said on the fundraiser page.
"He is our world and a massive part of our family," they wrote. "4 years ago we got mack as a pup when we lost our twins and he has been our rock ever since, he has a bond unbreakable with both our children ages 2 1/2 and even our 3 month old [sic]."
Tiger snakes are a large and highly venomous species, and are considered some of the most dangerous snakes in Australia.
Up to 60 percent of those bitten by a tiger snake die if the bite is not treated.
Newshub.
