WOODWAY, Texas – Woodway Public Safety K-9 Shaka was playing outside her handler’s home when a rattlesnake attacked her.
“It didn’t have any rattles on it. I didn’t hear anything but her, and the snake got into it, got her away from it,” says Officer Joshua Hilliard, Shaka’s handler.
When Officer Hilliard noticed the snake on Shaka, it had already bitten her twice.
“Fortunately, it was in her head, face. It’s a great recovery and survival with that, with dogs,” says Hilliard.
Hilliard removed the snake from the yard and quickly rushed Shaka to the Waco Animal Emergency Clinic, where a vet gave her anti-venom to treat the wounds.
“It’s going to be next 24, 48 hours before we can really determine how long it’s going to take her to recover,” says Hilliard.
Officer Hilliard and K-9 Shaka have been together since she was a pup. They have been through many ups and downs.
“It terrified me. Everything that we’ve already been through this last year, two years of sickness that she’s come down with, fight back from that coming back,” says Hilliard.
Last year, she was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder which has been attacking her white blood cells.
“It was pretty terrifying, that I had no idea how this was going to affect her, with this disorder that she has. It’s looking good,” says Hilliard.
Hilliard says to make sure Shaka makes a full recovery, she will have to spend another night in the emergency clinic.
Because of the medical conditions that Shaka has, the Woodway Public Safety nominated Shaka for the Aftermath K-9 Grant. You can click here to vote for Shaka.