The Doberman Guardian: A Surprising Act of Heroism

When Katherine Sibilicz from Australia adopted a giant Doberman who had been abused by his previous owner, she never thought what would happen days later would forever change her perspective on dogs.

"We're a dog-loving family," Katherine says. "All my children have grown up with dogs, and we've never had an issue. I always felt at ease when the kids played with the dogs in the yard."

That is until the day that changed her life forever—she never really believed dogs could harm her children.

"It was such a sunny, pleasant day, and I was outside with Charlotte," she recalls. "I just ran inside quickly to get water and cups, and then I heard Charlotte screaming and crying hysterically."

She rushed back out to find the most surreal scene a mother could witness: the Doberman, Khan, was dragging her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Charlotte, across the grass, shaking her side to side. "It was a horrifying sight," she remembers. "You just feel so helpless in a situation like that, because you're also afraid to get close to an angry dog."

Khan Became Weak and Whimpered

Khan had picked Charlotte up by her diaper and tossed her aggressively to the other side of the lawn. Her frightened mother ran to her, knelt down, picked her up, and held her tight.

"As soon as I picked her up, I looked towards Khan and was astonished by what he held in his mouth," Katherine recounts.

It was a large brown mulga snake—one of the top ten most deadly snakes in Australia. "Charlotte was unharmed, but then we noticed Khan was weak and whimpering loudly, and we realized something was wrong."

Katherine's husband rushed Khan to the vet, where it was revealed he had been bitten on the leg while saving little Charlotte. "I'm relieved he received the antivenom shot in time, and that we were able to save his life," concludes Katherine. "I would have been so upset with myself if we hadn’t."