(UPI) An Arizona woman branded her golden retriever puppy "a hero" after the dog jumped between her and a rattlesnake that bit the canine in the face.

Paula Godwin of Anthem said she and her two dogs were hiking on a Phoenix-area trail when her 6-month-old golden retriever, Todd, bolted out in front of her foot.

"I didn't see the snake and I am so careful when it comes to these things," Godwin told Patch. That dang rattlesnake was so camouflaged I did not see that thing.

Godwin said she didn't realize there was a snake in her path until Todd had already been bitten on the nose and cheek area by the venomous reptile.

"I think the snake was sleeping because I didn't even hear a rattle. It was super quiet," she said. Right when he struck he started to rattle.

Godwin rushed the dog to Animal Hospital in Anthem.

"I broke a lot of traffic laws for sure to get him there," she said. I did not pay any attention to traffic laws for 10 minutes.

Todd was given antivenom and was released from the animal hospital about 12 hours and $1,500 later.

Godwin said Todd appeared back to normal two days after the bite.

"He wants to play. He's so rambunctious and he's just acting like nothing happened," she said. It's so crazy.

She posted photos of Todd's post-bite swollen face on Facebook.

"This is what a hero looks like," she wrote.

Copyright 2018 by United Press International