Man's best friend saves baby from rattlesnake bite

Zoey the Chihuahua may be among the smallest of Denise and Monty Long's four dogs, but she's the biggest hero in their Masonville home after saving their 1-year-old grandson from a rattlesnake. Zoey's heroics came last week while the Longs were baby-sitting their grandson, Booker West, as they often do at their home just west of Loveland. The youngster was playing by a birdbath in the carefully manicured backyard with Zoey standing nearby. "Our little dog heard the rattle and I think she knows what a rattlesnake is," Denise Long said. So, as the snake coiled to strike, the dog jumped in between the boy and the rattler and suffered a bite to the head. The couple rushed Zoey to a veterinarian in Loveland, who began treating the 11-month- old, 5-pound long-haired Chihuahua with plasma, morphine and anti-venom treatments. By then, the dog's head had swelled to the size of a large grapefruit. About all they could see of her face was the little black button that was her nose. But the treatments worked, and by Sunday, Zoey was back playing with the Longs' two Labrador retrievers and their Yorkshire terrier.