On Tuesday morning, March 31, they\u2019d crossed a wooden bridge over Afon Crigyll when their outing came to an abrupt end. Baxter had been enjoying his usual run-around in grassland like he\u2019d done countless times before.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a real character,\u201d said Jo. \u201cBaxter was a lovely dog who was well-known in the village because he was always at my side. He loved going for this walk – we went there four or five times a week. He was a typical Spaniel, nose to the ground, tail wagging.<\/p>\n
Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI was on a track heading back to the car, not too far from the bridge, when I saw Baxter suddenly stop and lift his front paw. He didn\u2019t yelp and after some coaxing he came to me. But he was struggling to walk – I had to half carry him over the bridge.\u201d<\/p>\n Unable to get her dog home, Jo asked a visiting campervan owner to watch over him while she fetched her car. \u201cI was only gone five minutes,\u201d she said. \u201cBut in the time I\u2019d been away, he\u2019d vomited and pooed himself. There wasn\u2019t any swelling but I felt his paw and there was a tiny mark.\u201d<\/p>\n Calling ahead to Bodrwnsiwn Vets in Mona, Jo and the campervan owner lifted Baxter into her estate car. She arrived at the veterinary practice within 30 minutes of the bite. \u201cThey carried him in on a rug – there was no way he could walk,\u201d she said. \u201cHis breathing was ragged, his tummy was taut and his eyes were not good.\u201d<\/p>\n A snake, believed to be an adder, on Traeth Cymyran beach near Rhosneigr.(Image: Darren Owen)<\/p>\n Baxter was given anti-histamines and paracetamol, and put on a hydration drip. An adder bite was suspected but anti-venom wasn\u2019t administered. \u201cIt can cause anaphylactic shock and other side effects,\u201d said Jo. \u201cAs Baxter\u2019s breathing was so laboured, it was decided anti-venom was too risky.\u201d<\/p>\n Jo arranged to collect her beloved dog at 6pm. She aimed to take him to Colwyn Bay<\/a>, Conwy<\/a>, for overnight care: since June 2024 as no such provision has been available for pets on Anglesey<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI got a phone call from the vets at 5pm to say Baxter had taken a turn for the worse,\u201d she said. \u201cHis heart had stopped and, by the time I got there, he had died.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew he was going downhill and I was losing him but it was still a shock. He was a fit and healthy five-year-old dog. As he had deteriorated so quickly, it made me wonder if he\u2019d had an underlying condition.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t fault the vets. They did their best and there were very clearly very upset. We\u2019re 80%-plus sure it was an adder bite that killed him. He didn\u2019t swell, as often happens, but every dog reacts differently. Soon after I read an adder had been seen in the same area around the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n Baxter was bitten on common land beyond a vehicular wooden bridge north of Rhosneigr and south of RAF Valley’s runway(Image: Google)<\/p>\n Keen to alert others to the dangers, Jo posted a warning on Facebook<\/a>. She didn\u2019t want to alarm people, just make them aware. \u201cDog owners often associate adders with coastal dunes but this happened on grassland,\u201d she said. \u201cThey can be found in any open, sunny habitat.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year they seem to have come out early. Usually they will do their best to avoid people and dogs. But early in the year, as they emerge from hibernation, they can a little drowsy and might not be so quick to get away, so extra care is needed.\u201d<\/p>\n When her old dog died, Jo took time to grieve before adopting Baxter. He was sourced for her by Spaniel Aid, a rescue and rehoming charity for spaniels and spaniel cross-breeds.<\/p>\n This time she’s looking for a replacement straight away. \u201cI believe Baxter came from the Holyhead<\/a> area,\u201d she said. \u201cIt took him a while to settle but when he did he loved it here. As I\u2019m just two minutes from the beach, it was a paradise for him, especially as Rhosneigr<\/a> is so dog friendly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been in touch with Spaniel Aid already. I\u2019ve been widowed 10 years and without a dog in the house it feels very empty.\u201d<\/p>\n Baxter love to play and go for walks<\/p>\n Two days after she lost Baxter, Jo had a phone call from Bodrwnsiwn Vets. \u201cThey told me they\u2019d received an anonymous letter asking why the practice didn\u2019t have any anti-venom in stock,\u201d she said. \u201cThat wasn\u2019t the case – not giving it to Baxter was a clinical decision.<\/p>\n \u201cThe vets also told me they were trying to re-establish overnight care. If that happens, it would be excellent news. When Anglesey lost this provision, a lot of people were very upset<\/a> as it left them having to travel to Colwyn Bay or further. When something bad happens, you want something good to come out of it, and hopefully this will be it.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite rapid increases in the UK\u2019s canine population, adder bites remain uncommon and deaths are incredibly rare. While nearly all bitten dogs show symptoms, 95.4% reportedly survive with prompt veterinary treatment.<\/p>\n Fatalities generally occur if the bite is untreated, and is more common in smaller dogs.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_DPW_TDR_120615_adder01.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Baxter](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_AFRDPW210226RhosneigrWalks.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Baxter](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_AFRDPW210226BaxterBite_03.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n