Snake Update
On Tuesday after work, Cali and I went for our regular walk. I have been trying to overcome my fear of the ivy where the last slithering creature was hiding. I started by walking on that side of the road, but my eyes frantically darted from flower to rock to piece of trash hiding in the shrubbery. So far, so good. I continued to walk down the road then took a sharp left onto the service road that is gated off and usually has a mixture of Cal-Lutheran students jogging, mothers pushing strollers and random men and women walking their dogs. Recently, the tall grasses that lined the edges of this road have been weed-whacked down to the dirt. This is good for me because I can see everything that is going on and this keeps Cali (and let’s face it, myself) safe from Anaconda 3 that is just waiting to leap out from the bushes and attack me.
We were having a lovely stroll, the sun was low in the sky, but still keeping us warm while a light breeze was blowing. Then all of a sudden, where the road bends, Cali walked right up to what Ryan believes was a gopher snake, all coiled up upon itself on the side of the road. As soon as I realized what it was, I yanked Cali back to my side and pointed my finger in her face, saying “No!” She sat at my feet looking up at my face with the sad eyes. She is so curious and intrigued by this kind of stuff and I am deathly afraid she will get bitten. A woman that I work with has the same fear and actually took her dog to a rattle-snake avoidance dog training class (click here to see details).
I have checked in with my co-worker as of late, and she reports the class to be full of dogs, their owners, one trainer and a rattle snake in a cage. The trainer takes each dog and does all of the handling himself. She claims it is working and that her dog is doing really well at identifying the creature and keeping distance from it. I do not think Cali and I will be going to this class. I try to avoid snakes at all costs, why would I pay $70 to be up close and personal with a deadly one?
Another friend of mine told me about how she was walking with her dog and unleashed him while they were hiking up a hill. He bolted a few yards up and then began digging frantically in the dirt. When she reached him, she looked inside the hole that her dog had dug and there was a snake that was bitten in half with both ends still moving. I was so disgusted when she told me this, and while I was eating my lunch no less! Ick!
