Labrador safe after rattlesnake bite thanks to police
LA VERNE, Calif. -- A La Verne, California family's beloved Labrador is safe and on the mend after a nasty rattlesnake attack, thanks to some quick help from local police.
Jacquelyn Munet had used a treat to try to entice Bailey, her 11-year-old Labrador, to stay away from the rattlesnake coiled up in the backyard on Monday.
But Bailey's curiosity got the best of her. The poisonous snake struck, biting Bailey directly in the face.
"She just yelped and backed up as soon as possible and she ran straight inside," Munet said.
Munet called 911 and La Verne officers Chris Dransfeldt and Greg Rodriguez arrived within minutes to help. Munet didn't have a car and her mother was an hour away at work.
Seeing that Bailey's eye was already beginning to swell up, Dransfeldt loaded her into his cruiser and brought her to the nearest animal hospital.
"I knew I had to do something and I was the only means to get that dog to the vet fast," he said.
But when they got there, they found out that the veterinarian's office had no antivenom available.
Off they went again, to another vet's office two cities away in Upland.
Fortunately Bailey was able to get treated on time and is now recovering, after an overnight stay in the hospital.
The family said rattlesnakes are no surprise, especially this time of year, because their home is against a hillside. They normally vaccinate Bailey every April.
"We haven't scheduled the appointment yet so it had been a full year," said Sylvia Hernandez, Munet's mother. "So we're just grateful that the officer got Bailey there in time."
And Bailey's curiosity wasn't dampened by the snakebite.
"When we brought her home the first thing she did was she came back to the exact same spot where the snake was, kind of like, 'Let me have my chance'," Hernandez said.
