Dad’s heroic act as python attacks puppy

The Melburnian has been dubbed a hero by the owners of the dog that was almost killed by a “massive” python in the backyard of their Sunshine Beach home.

It was nearby that Stewart Brasier was enjoying an ice-cold beer in his Airbnb accommodation on Monday afternoon when he heard chilling screams and yelping coming from the neighbour’s garden.

It was around this time that Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 said they received a “frantic phone call” from a woman whose new puppy, Panda, was being constricted by a large carpet python – suspected to be around 2.5m long.

“There was no way that a snake catcher could get there in time so I had to talk her and the neighbour through how to get the snake off the dog as quickly and safely as possible,” the local snake catcher said.

Father-of-two Mr Brasier went into beast mode as he ran to the back fence and managed to scale it despite slipping several times.

He told the Sunshine Coast Daily he almost “pooped” himself when he landed in the garden and saw what was going on.

Incredible footage posted online shows two young girls watching on in shock as the Staffy puppy was being crushed by the python.

Mr Brasier sprung into action and grabbed onto the snake, squeezing its head that was latched on to the puppy’s face.

“She wasn’t breathing, the snake was wrapped around its neck and its back legs, it was actually crushing it from the legs forward,” he told Sunshine Coast Daily.

“The dog was totally screeching. All you could see was a little bit of the dog’s midsection and the snake was all around it. I thought [Panda] was gone.”

He managed to hold the reptile by its tail, before it turned on him.

“I’m wrestling with it and I’m yelling out to my mother-in-law to put a beer in the freezer because I’m going to need one after this, it was horrendous,” he said.

Mr Brasier put the python inside a pillowcase, before the snake catcher arrived to take it away.

The local snake catcher praised the dad’s heroic actions.

“He was able to uncoil the snake from around the dog’s body and then separate them and save the dog’s life,” he said. “The snake was also unharmed.

“In the end they did a great job getting the snake off the dog uninjured and the dog got away with a few small cuts and lacerations.

“We ended up heading out and relocating the snake for them and taking it to some bushland away from the house.

“Please don’t hate the snake for this – it was simply looking for food. This sort of incident can happen, not all that often, but it certainly can happen.”

Originally published as Dad’s heroic act as python attacks puppy