my hero

This is Samson, the guard dog for the center where I am living and working in Livingstone. He is a cross between a Bull Mastiff and an African hunting dog, so basically don't mess with this guy. He has become my buddy and great protector. Last night I was in my room talking to my friend who lives next door and suddenly Sam was outside my door barking at something, which was very unusual. I looked out the window to try to see what it was and couldn't see anything. So, I opened the door and right there about two feet away was a COBRA...I'm not even lying...a COBRA. 

 It was reared up with its hood open looking right at me! Thank the Lord for Samson! I froze for a second and then shut the door of course. Poor thing, he was trying to get the guards attention, but they were fast asleep...just like good guards should be. We had to figure something out, because the snake and the dog were at a stand off and we were trapped inside. I have a back door, but the lock has been broken since I got here and I have never been able to open it. Well, I determined I was getting through that door, so we could get the guards. I played around with it until I finally got it open and we went around the back to wake them up. Animal instincts are so amazing. Samson somehow just knew that this one was dangerous and that he should not try to take it on by himself. When he heard us come out, he came over and walked us up to the guards and then went back to hold the snake there...so smart! The guards got their sticks and headed down to the battle line. Needless to say we stayed out of sight. We heard shouting and 'Samson no', then a yelp, and lots of bashing of sticks and rocks. Then they all came around the corner with the dead snake hanging from one of the sticks. I was sure that the snake had bitten Sam, but he was ok, just got sprayed in the eye with venom. He went to the vet today and he's one tough dog...my hero!