An Australian sheepdog called Tess is fighting for his life after saving his owner from a deadly snake attack, local media reported Wednesday.

Tallebudgera Valley retiree Fay Palethorpe, 68, was in the garden of her huge property on the Gold Coast when she came across the two-meter eastern brown snake.

She told the Associate Press: "He saw me and I saw him, and he reared up about two foot into the air and struck at me three times. I just screamed and ran."

As the snake chased her around the garden, she screamed and her three sheepdogs, including Tess, came to rescue her. Although she shouted at them to stay away from the snake, Tess got hold of it and flung it in the air. In the process, the snake bit the dog in her ear which resulted in profuse bleeding.

Palethorpe took Tess to an emergency vet and had to borrow $1,200 from her son since she didn't have enough for the vet's $1,400 bill. She refused for the dog to be put down saying "she really could have given her life for mine", reports Gold Coast.

Tess, who went into a coma soon after the incident on Sunday and was thought to have 50:50 chance of survival, started blinking her eyes Wednesday.

Eastern brown snakes are one of the most venomous in the world according to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary life sciences curator Matt Hingley. He told Gold Coast: "It's in the world's top three. It has a fast-acting venom and it is able to rapidly administer that venom."

Palethorpe is hopeful over Tess's recovery and says that each hour it gets better.