California Rattlesnakes dog safety
If you own dogs in the Western United States, you should be vigilant about poisonous snakes on trails or in your backyard. Here in San Diego California there are a couple of varieties of rattlesnakes that you will encounter on a hiking trails and open areas on the fringes of the city and the county of San Diego.
Because my house borders a small San Diego city Park, I always scan the fence lines and the backyard prior to putting the dogs out, to be sure there are no rattlesnakes. this video was produced in late September and I had just gone out in the backyard and looked around and didn’t see anything so I let both of my Airedale Terriers out. It was about 11:30 PM, and when my smaller female Airedale was within about 18 inches to 2 feet of my backyard fence I heard the distinctive rattle of a rattlesnake. My larger Airedale was right at my side, so I grabbed him by the collar as I yelled at the smaller Airedale to come over to me. Luckily, the smaller Airedale did come to me rather than moving forward to investigate the sound that the fence.
California Rattlesnakes dog safety
After taking both dogs in the house I went back out to investigate with a flashlight and my Samsung S7 phone, which is what I used produce this video. I could definitely hear the rattlesnake but at first did not see it, because it was not on the ground. Actually, it was wrapped around the fence post on the other side of some chicken wire that I have up along that area just to keep snakes and small critters out of my yard.
Being that my house is located within the city of San Diego and 11:30P.M. the use of a firearm was out. Also, just hitting it with a shovel probably would only have gotten it pissed off because it was on the other side of the fence.
I have no doubt, that this snake could’ve bitten through the openings in the fence and/or slid down to the ground, where if you look closely you’ll see there’s about a six or eight inch opening in the fence, and come through into my backyard. Now, it’s one thing to encounter rattlesnakes out in the park or on trails throughout San Diego, but it’s quite another to have one in your backyard.
I thought about having a piece of rope on a long pole that I could perhaps slide up around its tail and pull it through that opening in the fence onto the patio where I could then put a garbage can on top of it until animal control would arrive and relocated it. Or, perhaps I should just take a couple of good whacks at it with a shovel. Anyway after looking around in the garage for some implements to deal with the situation when I went back outside about five minutes later, the snake had vanished.
California Rattlesnakes dog safety – Rattlesnakes DO NOT want to attack humans, they DO NOT want to bite humans. Yes, a rattlesnake WILL BITE a human if provoked. But, all they want to do is GET AWAY from humans. Therefore, please leave them be. Additionally, if you would be so kind as to re-locate a rattlesnake … please call your local animal control, or if you feel you can handle it on your own, be sure you have the proper tools … and BE SAFE.
If you take away anything from this video and have dogs on your property, be sure your property is properly snake proof and or always do a quick walk around any time you let the dogs out, to ensure that you have no unwanted visitors!
The most of rattlesnakes that I encounter are usually somewhere around 18 inches or so long. Many people say that the small baby rattlesnakes are extremely dangerous because they don’t know how to control the amount of venom they inject into a bite. What everyone seems to agree on is that large rattlesnakes are perhaps the most dangerous because of the amount of venom that’s normally injected with the snake this size.
Keep in mind, that should you have to kill a rattlesnake, EVEN after they are dead they can and WILL bite! EVEN a freshly severed head alone can deliver a fatal bite! Before rigor mortis sets in, the heat sensors (the pits) detect heat of your hand and can automatically cycle the jaws and bit injecting venom! Not to mention if you toss the snake’s head out into the weeds where it can’t hurt YOU, Something else could happen along in sort order, like a dog investigating the head and get bit just sniffing the thing! In other words IF you kill one on purpose or accidently … DO be super careful with the carcass! There is some nasty fangs and nasty venom in those heads!
The next day I showed both my neighbors the raw video of this rattlesnake encounter so that they can exercise caution with their kids and pets. I appreciate all animals, well perhaps not pit bull dogs so much, but I realize this is the rattlesnakes environment and they do serve a good purpose. But, I’d like them to serve that purpose off of my private property.
California Rattlesnakes dog safety
Crotalus ruber From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Red Diamond Rattlesnakes are found in the United States in southwestern California and southward through the Baja California peninsula, although not in the desert east of the Sierra de Juárez in northeastern Baja California. It also inhabits a number of islands in the Gulf of California, including Angel de la Guarda, Pond, San Lorenzo del Sur, San Marcos, Danzante, Monserrate and San José. Off the west coast of Baja California, it is found on Isla de Santa Margarita, which is off Baja California Sur, and (as C. exsul) on Isla de Cedros.
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California Rattlesnakes dog safety