CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- We've reported on several stories of people being bitten by snakes but in a recent case, instead of a person getting attacked, it was a dog.
Luto is a rescue, part-husky and part-dingo. He is as adventurous as they come, nicknamed the "Escape Artist" after he recently got out and walked seven miles to Carolina Place Mall.
But over the weekend, his curiosity in his backyard almost claimed his life.
"He just started crying and crying and crying," recalled Rebecca Osmond, who rescued him over a year ago and has since trained him to become a certified service dog.
PHOTOS: Local dog bitten by snake
Rebecca has seen more than 20 snakes in her backyard and she had been working to clean it up. But when Luto came home with a swollen left eye, she initially did not realize it came from a snake bite.
"When we saw two distinct puncture wounds, that's when we knew it was a snake," Rebecca said.
Rebecca looked for the snake to see if she could snap a picture to identify if it was venomous or not but failed to find it.
The veterinarian put Luto in a cone and recommended Benadryl. Rebecca was told since the wound was so far away from his heart and major arteries, he'd be just fine and that's turned out to be true.
The swelling has gone down but a smaller animal might have not been so lucky.
He is a resilient rescue dog. It's been three days since he was bit and the Mandarin-understanding, snakebite-surviving, half-dingo Luto is back to his old adventurous ways.
"He has a huge personality, he is one of the funniest dogs I've ever met in my life," said Osmond.
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Here is what you can do if your pet is bitten by a snake:
1. Take a photo of the snake to identify if it's venomous
2. Give your pet Benadryl, which will help with swelling
3. Rush your animal to the vet to be treated