Dog Heroine of 2007

04 Jan 08

18 year old Elske Strauss must surely be the dog heroine of 2007. She took on a huge python with just a stick — to save the life of her darling dachshund called Lilly — who at the time happened to be pregnant and expecting a litter of supercute puppies.

Lilly was being swallowed by the 5 1/2 metre-long python when Elske intervened. When the snake coughed her up, Elske gave her beloved hound mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and Lilly survived to give birth to seven lovely puppies weeks later.

The drama involving Lilly and the reptile took place at Elske’s family farmhouse on Strathmore farm. Elske heard her dog whining. She ran out and saw that a python had got hold of her dog in the shallow water of a stream that flows past their house, some three metres away.

“The giant python’s body was already curled around my dog, four times. Lilly’s head was inside its jaws, and the reptile was starting to swallow her,” said Elske.

The only weapon she could find was a stick. “I hit the snake on its head again, and again, and again.” When the snake refused to let go, she jumped into the water, lifted it out and threw it down on the embankment.

“I screamed and hit the snake again. At one stage it spat out Lilly’s head and took aim at me.”

The moment the snake loosened its grip, the teen grabbed the dog.

“Lilly’s tongue was deep blue. She wasn’t breathing and her eyes were rolled back.”

She put her mouth over her limp dog’s mouth and started giving it mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

“After four of five breaths, the dog coughed and water started coming out of its mouth,” Elske said.

After a visit to the vet, an injection and lots of love, Lilly was soon back at the farm and romping with her pups.

Elske’s father, Flip Strauss said several of his dogs had disappeared on the farm. “We suspected that it might be snakes, but I never thought that a python would venture that near the house.” Stauss said their dogs regularly swam in the stream next to the house to cool off in the stifling Lowveld heat. The snake was later killed by farmworkers.

SuperWoof to Elske’s incredible heroism in saving Lilly the dachshund’s life — and the lives of Lilly’s puppies.

Awoof! Archie