Cooper the chihuahua praised for brave, final act to protect family

NOT all heroes wear capes — some are just everyday dogs willing to put their lives on the line. This chihuahua’s brave act would end his.

A COURAGEOUS little chihuahua has been praised by his family for protecting them against an eastern brown snake, an act that would take his life.

Gold Coast woman Evangline Lim was getting ready to hang out her washing last week when she heard Cooper, her 10-year-old chihuahua, furiously barking at something in the backyard.

Still with her washing basket in hand, she saw Cooper wrestling with an eastern brown snake, one of Australia’s most venomous snakes.

“The snake was upside down and Cooper was on top of it and wrestling,” the Hope Island woman told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

“He was obviously saving me from the snake.”

Cooper the chihuahua died after wrestling with an eastern brown snake. Picture: supplied

The family eventually managed to trap the snake under a pot plant but unbeknown to them, Cooper had already been bitten.

Despite their best efforts to rush him to a nearby vet, the brown snake’s poison was too much for little Cooper to handle and he died 10 minutes later after suffering cardiac arrest in the car.

Tony Harrison, from Gold Coast and Brisbane Snake Catchers, said eastern brown snakes are much more common than residents think.

“They’re everywhere in the Gold Coast. I catch a couple a day so people need to be more aware,” he said.

Mr Harrison said eastern brown snakes are especially quick at defending themselves and are known to attack as soon as they feel threatened — which might’ve been why Cooper and the snake first started wrestling.

“As soon as a dog interacts with a snake you should be hightailing it to the vet. I’ve seen plenty of dogs and cats attacked by brown snakes over the years and many of them don’t last 10 minutes,” he said.

The Gold Coast snake catcher said the venom from an eastern brown works quickly on humans and animals, causing blood clots and muscle seizures.

“It’s not a nice thing at all. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, let alone a little chihuahua,” he added.