'She saved my life’: Dog owner’s praise for pet Lucy
By Monique Preston
Lifesaver: Staffordshire terrier-American bulldog cross Lucy with Tenille Smith, Ethan Johnson, 4, and Neil Johnson.
Photo by
Rodney Braithwaite
Tenille Smith says she owes her life to her dog Lucy after an encounter the pair had with a snake a few weeks ago.
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Tenille was putting washing in the clothes dryer on the verandah outside the laundry at her Ardmona home when Lucy started barking at the dryer.
Thinking there must be a mouse behind the dryer, Tenille finished putting the clothes on before she moved the dryer.
What came next was something she never expected.
“I moved the dryer and a tiger snake came out rearing its head,” Tenille said.
Lucy bowled in and pushed Tenille out of the way as the snake headed to the open back door of the house.
Tenille said she slammed the flywire door shut, catching the 1.5 metre snake part-way in it.
Lucy then grabbed it by the tail and threw it out on to the grass and it slithered away.
Good for chewing on: Lucy loves to play with the fronds that fall from a palm tree.
Photo by
Rodney Braithwaite
“She saved my life,” Tenille said of Lucy.
“If the dog wasn’t there, it would have gone inside.”
Tenille said it took her a couple of hours to get over the shock.
She now thinks the snake had probably been there all day before she disturbed it, as she’d heard Lucy barking in the same area earlier while her children were playing on a jumping castle outside.
It was not the first time the Staffordshire terrier-American bulldog cross has encountered a snake on the property.
Family member: Lucy, a Staffordshire terrier-American bulldog cross, is much loved by her family.
Photo by
Rodney Braithwaite
About nine months ago she was bitten by a snake and had to spend a night at the vet recovering.
It also cost $2200 in vet fees, but Tenille said that money was now forgotten after Lucy saved her.
“She won’t be going anywhere. She’s staying with us for ever,” Tenille said.
Lucy, who is about six years old, initially belonged to Tenille’s stepson Reece Johnson, but he left her with the rest of the family when he moved in with his girlfriend earlier in the year.
Now she is a family pet — loved by Tenille, her partner, Neil Johnson, and children Will, 16, Taniesha, 11, and Ethan, 4.
Tenille’s favourite thing about Lucy is how loyal she is.
She also said she was a friendly dog once she got to know you — except with those people she thought were “of bad character”.
Shake on it: Lucy shows how she can shake hands with her owner Neil Johnson.
Photo by
Rodney Braithwaite
She also tends to bark a lot at delivery drivers, but is able to be distracted by treats from her owners to make her stop.
In addition, she has different barks for different people, meaning her owners could usually tell who was there before they saw them, Tenille said.
“We call her our doorbell,” she said.
Lucy has made friends with the Jack Russell terrier that belongs to the family’s landlord.
“They go off for adventures,” Tenille said.
“We call her (Lucy) his little hot blonde.”
Despite Lucy’s size, she is a big fan of cuddles from her humans.
“She loves cuddles. She would sit on your lap if she could,” Tenille said.
Lucy is also able to sit, shake hands and roll over on demand.
Active pooch: Lucy adores playing with a ball with her family.
Photo by
Rodney Braithwaite
She especially loves joining in with anything the family is doing.
If family members were riding motorbikes on the farm, Lucy was running along right beside them, Tenille said.
“And you can’t hit a cricket ball without her catching them,” she said.
Lucy also loves to drag the fronds that fall from the palm tree around the backyard before ripping them up.
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