It's a pet owner's bizarre nightmare: Finding your sweet little pup caught between the jaws of a giant snake, but one owner devastatingly found just that when they heard a commotion at their home in Brisbane, Australia, last Thursday.
After rescuing the poor Chihuahua – named Mathilda – from the mouth of the huge carpet python, the owner enlisted the help of Joshua Castle, owner of Josh's Snake Catching and Relocation, who posted about the incident on social media.
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"This carpet python decided to try and make a meal out of this poor little dog last night; thankfully the owner of the dog heard it happen, and immediately went to the rescue," explains Mr Castle via his Facebook page.
"We arrived, caught and relocated the snake. The dog will make a full recovery due to the owner's quick thinking."
Thankfully, dogs (and cats) being bitten by snakes isn't a regular occurrence - even in a country full of dangerous wildlife! Carpet pythons are a large variety of snake found across northern, eastern and southern Australia.
Speaking to Newsweek, Mr Castle explains: "Dogs aren't usually hunted by snakes, they would much rather rats/possums, but unfortunately dogs and cats are sometimes grabbed by snakes, especially ones that are small." He also wasn't sure if the snake was the aggressor, or if Matilda's terrier nature got the better of her, causing the snake to act out in defence.
While they may grow up to 13 feet (most are around 8), the non-venomous constrictors' diet spares our pets most of the time, with them preferring to feast on frogs, lizards, birds and small mammals.
This does mean that birds and caged mammals can be targeted, however, and only recently Mr Castle was called to a scene where a carpet python had broken into a birdcage, leaving only a feathered trail of its previous inhabitant.
