Two gampr dogs have saved the life of an Armenian shepherd from a viper attack but died from snake bites themselves, President of Shirak Center NGO Vahan Tumasyan has revealed in a Facebook post.

A gampr is a livestock guardian dog native to the Armenian Highlands.

"The young shepherd was grazing his flock of sheep in the mountains of the village of Nor Artik, when a snake attacked him," Tumasyan wrote.

"The two gamprs immediately got into a fight with the viper, which was quite large. Though they managed to kill the snake, they were seriously wounded and managed to reach the village with great difficulty. Some time later they died from snake bites."