Rocky, a seven-year-old English Staffordshire, died at Ms Brown’s door early Sunday morning after killing a brown snake which had slithered into the back yard.

“He was part of the family and we’ve had him since he was a pup,” the Silesia Court resident told The Standard.

“Rocky belonged to my disabled son, Troy.

“We are devastated.

“Two years ago I lost another dog to snakebite and I’m fearful for my pup, Milly, and children in the area. 

“A neighbour found three snakes in her backyard yesterday.”

Ms Brown said she had contacted council officers asking them to cut the grass.

“I’ve lived in this area for 13 years and this is the worst I’ve seen for snakes,” she said.

Another Merrivale res-ident, Naomi Rose, who regularly visits the Brown household with her two children, said she too feared for the safety of her family.

A city council spokesman said it was unlikely river bank vegetation would be cut because it was part of natural stabilisation.

He advised people living near waterways to be careful in warm weather and to keep their grass trimmed.