By Andrea Gallo, Sacramento Bee

Less than a day after a baby rattlesnake struck him, Bowser – a mixed Labrador and heeler puppy – pranced to his car, waited for his swelling to go down and relished tummy rubs from his owner, Nick Delgado.

Bowser is one of the luckier animals bitten by rattlesnakes in Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado and Amador counties recently. Some didn’t survive their bites.

Delgado and Jessica Cobian said they were walking Tuesday near the American River in Rancho Cordova when Bowser, who was on a leash in front of them, lunged forward and sniffed the ground. When the nearly 1-year-old dog perked his head up, a 10-inch-long baby rattlesnake bit his snout.

“He was a step ahead of me,” Delgado said Wednesday. “If he didn’t get bitten, I would have or she would have.”

Animal advocates and veterinarians have issued warnings to pet owners to take extra precautions because of the number of dogs being bitten.

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