Today, I got home about 30 minutes before dark, so wanting to get the dogs as much time outside as possible, I let them out immediately.  I changed boots to try to keep from messing up my good ones and turned to follow them out.  KoKo had paused in a spot about 30 yards away and was sniffing at something, very intently.  I sauntered over to find that this is what she was sniffing…

Due to the coloring and without taking time to study the snake, I called KoKo away from it and it began to slither into some high grass.  About that time, our “special” puppy, Clyde, joined us to see what was happening.  Apparently the snake left a scent and the dogs both wanted to locate it, instead of leaving it for some other type of activity.  After about 5 minutes of them looking for it, I was nearly certain that it had slithered into a hole where it would likely stay for the winter.  It is fairly uncommon to see snakes when the weather starts to cool off, as it has.

Then I hear KoKo slap her paws down and turn to see her doing an “about face” with this snake in her mouth.  Clyde ran down, snatched the snake out of KoKo’s mouth and ran up the hill where I was standing.  I told him to put it down and get away from it and, believe it or not, he did (he never does what we tell him).  At this time, I wanted to try to make a determination as to what type of snake we had stumbled upon.  Copperhead?  Rat Snake?  Using the flashlight from my iPhone, I examined the snake and smelled for the musky odor that copperhead’s put off when they sense danger.  I did not smell the odor and the snake was a little lethargic, not overly aggressive, as I would expect a copperhead to be.  So I thought I would take a closer look…

I pinned his head down with a shovel and picked him up for a closer look.  Based on the width of his head at the base of the jaw, I was pretty certain that it was just a rat snake, therefore not poisonous.  He was, however, quite long. I would guess between 4 and 5 feet.  The picture below is for perspective.  I laid the shovel down beside it, so that you would have some idea of the length…

As this was happening, I sent a couple of these pictures to Brenda.  So now, I was faced with a dilemma.  I have a rat snake, non poisonous, and helps to keep down the varmint population, but I have a wife that has seen a near 5 foot snake where she lives and may not return unless there are pictures to follow that clearly show a dead rat snake.  As much as I love our ecosystem and the circle of life that it includes, I love Brenda more, so I ended the life of the snake as quickly and painlessly as possible.

In a way I feel bad, but I want to be sure to keep Brenda and the hounds around for as long as possible.  I can’t have her afraid of going outside and I can’t have the dogs playing with snakes and thinking that that there is nothing to be concerned about.  The next snake may be a copperhead.  That is, if there is a next snake.  I have posted signs saying that this is a snake free zone, so I am sure that we have nothing to be concerned about!  Good night!