WOODSTOCK: Snake bites dog, owner kills snake | News

WOODSTOCK, Ga. -- A copperhead snake killed by a Woodstock woman after it bit her dog was one of the largest in Georgia, according to Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologists.

The snake bit Lynn Janke's dog Belle, a Rhodesian Ridgeback that she rescued. She came to Belle's rescue again when the four-foot copperhead attacked in her backyard. Janke used an axe to kill the snake.

"It was either me or the snake," she said. "It was coiled back up, and I didn't know if it was going to strike."

Janke said Belle looked sick after the attack. "She was like, delirious, swaying and just lethargic and then started crying," Janke said. "We literally had to take the collar off of her because her neck swelled so bad."

She took Belle to a veterinarian emergency care where she was watched overnight. After days of antibiotics, she was okay except for some scarring around her mouth where the snake bit her.

DNR wildlife biologist Thomas Floyd told 11Alive News the snake was one of the largest you'll see in Georgia. He said copperheads are typically only about two-and-a-half feet in length. Floyd said Belle was lucky because the copper head is the least poisonous snake indigenous to Georgia.

Janke said her dog is lucky because she's a big dog. "I can imagine if she was a small dog," Janke said.

DNR offers information about Georgia's poisonous snakes on their website. Here's what you need to know about any snake spotted in your yard:

• Never attempt to handle any kind of snake 
• A venomous snake will most often have a triangular-shaped head as well as elliptical pupils. 
• Snakes are important predators that feed on rodents, insects and even other snakes. There is no need to fear a snake in your yard.