Golden retriever pup saves owner from rattlesnake in Arizona, left with swollen snout

A heroic golden retriever puppy was left with a very swollen snout after jumping between his owner and a rattlesnake in Arizona. He saved her from being bitten and took the hit himself.

The golden retriever named Todd was on a hike with his owner Paula Goodwin in Anthem, Arizona, on Friday when the pair came across a rattlesnake.

Just as Goodwin was about to unknowingly step on the snake, Todd spotted it and jumped in front of his owner's leg.

Unfortunately for the poor pup, the rattle snake bit him in the face causing his snout o swell dramatically.

Goodwin posted photos of the recovering retriever on her Facebook with the caption: 'My hero of a puppy Todd saved me.'

Todd was taken to the Anthem Animal Hospital for treatment and is expected to make a full recovery.

The photos on social media show him appearing to smile, despite his injured face has gone viral with fans praising his courage and positive attitude.

One popular Twitter account called We Rate Dogs posted about Todd with the caption: 'This is Todd. He saved his human from a rattlesnake yesterday. A true h*ckin hero. He’s expected to make a full recovery and has been rewarded our fifth ever 15/10.'

The post has been liked more than 131,000 times.