How did we end up in a stranger’s backyard walking towards a tree we knew had a snake in it? Good question, and one I asked myself last Saturday evening.
Our new neighborhood is very close to the Barton Creek Greenbelt, which means we have a lot more animals around. Last month our community newsletter they highlighted a sad looking little poodle that had been bitten by a rattlesnake in his backyard. We started to think about the personality of Chuy and what she would do if she saw one, and our answer was unequivocally that she would go after it. Although rattlesnake bites are not immediately fatal to dogs, they are a medical emergency, and the poodle in the article had lost an eye.
So I did some research and realized there was a highly respected snake avoidance trainer only about 15 minutes away from us. I called and signed Chuy up for the rattlesnake and the water moccasin. To train the dogs, they use live snakes that have been devenomed so the dog can learn what it smells like. Then they provoke the snake and when it makes a move, they shock the dog using a collar.
We got to the house at 6 on Saturday evening and a very nice older man and his wife came out. They pulled out the rattler and set him on the ground. This is where I started to realize I was not totally comfortable with a rattlesnake 6 feet from me, devenomed or not. I tried not to panic because I know Chuy usually reads off my emotions quite a bit. This time she didn’t notice me because she was immediately interested in the fun new toy in front of her. She was straining hard at her leash to get as close to it as Andrew would let her and wagging her tail. The snake had obviously been through this many times before and did not seem perturbed at all- no rattle, no slithering away in the face of this super inquisitive dog.
Chuy has never been shocked before, so when the man provoked the snake and hit the shock button she completely flipped out. She ran away as fast and she could and pulled as hard as she possibly could. Even though she’s only 16 pounds, she is fast and strong! She was pulling Andrew right along with her.
We calmed her down while the man moved the rattlesnake over to a nearby tree and pulled out the water moccasin. Now there were two live snakes roaming around this guys backyard! I started to wonder if his neighbors know what this man has on this side of the fence. I let her get near the water moccasin, but she was already weary. It was hard to get her close enough to smell it, but we did. And then the shock came again.
Once she got over that, Andrew was told to walk her normally, but “happen” to pass by the tree with the rattler in it. I was glad to have such a brave husband because there was no way I was going to do that! She got to the tree, stopped for a second when she smelled the snake on her left, and then took off charging as hard as she could to the right. Success!
The whole process took about 15 minutes, and after seeing her initial interest in “playing” with the snake, it was time very well spent.
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