The snake struck close to a path near the river while Adam Lane was out at the beauty spot with his dog Enzo, an American Bulldog and Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross.
At first, he didn’t realise what had happened – it was only when Adam had to stop the car on the way home that the penny dropped.
And he got a further horrifying shock when the vet – the only one near his home which had anti-venom – asked him to stump up £750 straight away or Enzo would have to die, he said.
Recalling the recent experience, Adam, 26, said: “The way it happened was a bit mad.
“Nothing kicked off straight away. I was driving back to my home in Stillington and my car started smoking, it was a write-off.
“I opened the back door to let Enzo out, he had been quiet and thought he was just tired from the walk. I noticed his paw was as big as his head.
“I put it down to a thorn in his paw but looked like he had two little spots. I didn’t think anything of it but my friend said to me ‘what if it’s a…