Watching for Snakes
September 26, 2009 by Paris and John
Filed under Safety, Tips
Today’s tip isn’t as much a tip as just a practical reminder…one brought about by a personal incident this week. Taking a country walk with our dogs, we stopped for a moment to enjoy the view.
Our dogs were on four-foot leashes so they weren’t far from our feet…but far enough. Tiki started exploring around us and, before we knew it, she was wildly shaking her head…with what looked like a poisonous copperhead snake dangling from her nose.
That day we were lucky; what we though was a poisonous snake turned out to be an alligator lizard (one whose defense is that its short legs and coloration make it look like a snake!) The lizard had been tucked beneath a rock, and, when Tiki nosed around, he’d bit our dog in self-defense.
The bite was a bad one that drew blood (quite a bit of blood) but was otherwise harmless, a far cry from what a poisonous snake bite would be like. The whole incident was painful for Tiki, scary for both of our dogs, and a real gray hair generator for us…but we were so lucky.
We’re always on the lookout for snakes during country walks but now we’ve stepped up our efforts. We’re keeping an extra eye out for any large rocks that can serve as hiding places for snakes. We’ve avoiding fallen brush and never stepping over anything that prevents us from seeing what may be hiding below. We’ve written down driving directions (and the phone number) of the nearest emergency animal hospital and posted them in our home.
As the weather begins to cool, remember that snakes remain active until winter’s cold temperatures set in. Know the types of snakes in your area and know which types are poisonous. Be familiar with the coloration of the types of snakes so, just in case your dog should receive a bite, you can describe the snake to your vet.
But, even better, avoid those bites before they happen!
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