Siberian husky survives bout with brown snake at Kelso home

Tamar Harvey was at home sick on Tuesday, October 22, when her Siberian husky Angel came to the back door around 3.30pm.

"She came up for a pat and then ran away, which was a pit out of character," Ms Harvey explained.

Ms Harvey found Angel - who was then two months pregnant - near her kennel, where she found the remains of a brown snake.

Suspecting Angel had been bitten by the snake, she phoned Stewart Street Vets, who told her to come in straight away.

Angel was treated with antivenom, but lost her seven pups, who were all stillborn.

"She's recovered well, but she's still mourning the pups," Ms Harvey said.

"She's spent a lot of time in her kennel. She's had pups before but she's quite sad she hasn't got them this time."

Ms Harvey has only been at her Kelso property for four months now and had considered the threat of snakes because of her house's proximity to a creek.

And a White Rock family got the shock of their lives on the weekend when their kids jumped into the pool and saw a snake swimming near them.

Rebecca Young's daughters jumped in the pool at about 5pm on Saturday, October 26, thinking that the bandy-bandy snake they saw in it was a toy.

They soon started yelling out when they realised the snake was real.

"I went straight out and there it was. I just started yelling to get out," he said.

"[My husband] Jake scooped it out of the pool with the leaf cleaner, and we spoke to a snake expert who we know.

"We sent through a photo of it on our phone to him, and he said it was a bandy-bandy snake."

Bandy-bandy snakes are marked with black and white (or yellowish) rings and while the snake is venomous, they are considered harmless due to the small size of its mouth, inoffensive nature and weakness of the venom.

Mrs Young said the snake expert thought it might have been washed out in the storm on Friday night and she thought the snake may have been under a boogie board.

Having secured the snake, Mrs Young said her husband then relocated it to the bush and set it free.

It's not the first time Mrs Young has had a snake near the house, about three years ago she had a tiger snake in the garage.

"I was only thinking the other day how lucky we've been [not having any problems]," she said.

"When I saw the snake I didn't think it was real, but then I saw it swimming in the pool, the kids got out quick smart and over the other side of the fence."