Dog barks furiously in backyard. Grandma took a look in the bushes, grabs the kids, and runs

Melissa Butt's grandchildren, Zayden, 4, and Mallory, 1, were in the backyard playing as the family's two dogs stood nearby. Although it appeared to be an ordinary day, in the blink of an eye, everything changed.
Butt's two pit bulls, 3-year old Slayer and 9-month old Paco, suddenly became hyper-focused on something moving in the grass. "Generally they will listen and come when called," Butt explained. "But they weren't. They were just standing there, barking."
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With the two children just inches away from a danger only the two dogs had noticed, Slayer sprang into action. The intruder was a copperhead snake, and although this snake's venom causes a relatively mild reaction in adults, it can cause serious complications in children, the elderly or people with compromised immune systems.
“I think it would have been much worse had that snake gotten my grandkids instead of my big dog,” Butt said. “Mallory is less than 2 years old and had she been bitten I think it would have been a completely different story we’d be telling.”
Slayer killed the snake before it could get anywhere near the children, but both the heroic dog and little Paco were bitten by the reptile before it died. Paco was bitten on the front leg; his injuries were relatively minor and required a single dose of anti-venom. Slayer was not as lucky as his canine brother.
"His entire right side of his face [was] swollen," Butt said. "He had a little sack of fluid that dropped from his chin."
For three days, Slayer remained in the hospital receiving anti-venom injections. A local rescue group, Frankie's Friends, helped raise money to cover Slayer's hospital bills and medications. Now he is back home and happily wagging his tail again!
Butt credits Slayer for her grandchildren's rescue. “That’s what he does. He will put himself in the front like whenever he thinks the family is in danger.
I do feel as small as my grandkids are, it could have been life-threatening for my grandbabies," she said. "Slayer’s my boy."
Watch the video below of this incredible act of bravery by these two dogs, and share their heroics with your friends and family on Facebook.​
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