Rascalmyshadow Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 Yesterday my family and I decided to do a whole lot of gardening (lot to do with an acre of gardens) while my husband and kids were planting out some vegies I went for a walk around the property with Rascal, Hugo and a couple of the cats, we were walking along one of the grassed paths (gardens on each side) when Rascal suddenly went stiff and started to bark like I've never heard, he was looking straight into a spot that is heavily planted. I could see something between two plants, thinking it was a lizard (but being cautious) I picked up a long stick and made an opening to find a rather large tiger snake staring back at me, it stood its ground but obviously it got a fright, it reared back and started to hiss while flicking its tongue. I picked up Rascal called Hugo and the two cats and went back to the house. I have no idea how he knew it was there he couldn't have possibly seen it, or not to get too close, he has never been in contact with a snake before yet he knew to give a warning, thank god he did because it has made us much more aware while walking around and working in the garden. I thought I'd go for a walk around earlier today but this time I shut all the gates to the back half of the property and left the dogs up near the house in the main yards, glad I did because this time I came across a copperhead (I'm sure that's what it was) hanging out on the rocks where there is a natural spring leading to our pond. This time I had my phone on me and got a few pictures. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 How do they know? Smell and hearing. Also helps that dogs' noses and ears are closer to the ground than ours...and dogs don't assume danger will be seen. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 (edited) aaarrrrgh ...... Dogs hear/smell snakes ..and I believe the 'odd' method snakes move also draws a dog's attention .. ours usually bark/growl with a very different note of aggro/alert than usual for a strange human, or feral cat .... Edited October 16, 2017 by persephone 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 oh..and you got close enough to take smartphone photos?? !!!!!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rascalmyshadow Posted October 16, 2017 Author Share Posted October 16, 2017 I thought he must of smelt it, he automatically knew there was danger. Yeah I got close enough to use my phone to take pics but not close enough to get bitten, it was quite shy unlike the tiger yesterday. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappi&Monty Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 Eek! You'll have to keep an eye out, probably will be a few more coming out and about now that it's warming up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tikira Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 You are very lucky that Rascal was smart enough to sound the "snake bark" . Once you have heard your dog use this bark, you recognise it immediately thereafter. We became very adept at recognising it with Tip, but as he was a prey driven Jack Russell we knew it would not always save him, and the one time it mattered he did not make a sound! Snakes are very bad this year in Armidale, we have even had a young brown right next to our front door at the Family History Centre where I volunteer, and otherwise sensible elderly members went searching for a stick to "poke" it when they finally spotted it not two feet from them on a bare patch of dirt. I made sure they left it to slither away! Be careful and vigilant everyone! Di 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillybob Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 JRTs are terror with snakes, one of my rescues who went to a friend killed two Red Bellies and was also bitten twice by two. She didn't survive the brown that bit her though. Loulou was a gutsy girl who took her job of guarding my friends twin daughters very seriously. Even Gilly will still go after reptiles and he is 21! I used to walk Bob when I lived out of town and we saw snakes everyday mostly Tigers and RBBs maybe a Brown once or twice a year oh and a death Adder once that was asleep on the other side of a log that we both stepped over, Bob walked on it and I just missed it. Bob always knew when a RBB was around I believe they have a distinct smell, because he always remembered where he saw them. I have Copperheads here and other smaller snakes, Anna and Cedro bailed one up in a pile of bricks a few years ago, Anna was nearly uncontrollable! My dogs have a definite different bark for snakes, its deeper and more persistant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 A scary topic !!! I haven’t seen a snake since I was a child in the vast metropolis of Thangool (tiny little town in Queensland). The neighbour adjoining the back of my yard told me he’d found a black snake swimming in his pool one day, but that was a few years ago now. He was telling people in the neighbourhood he knew had dogs so we could take extra care. I have seen some suspicious holes in the ground; I don’t think they are from snakes, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rascalmyshadow Posted October 16, 2017 Author Share Posted October 16, 2017 I find snakes completely fascinating and to be able to wander around the property and go snake spotting is awsome, however I do worry that my cats and dogs are at risk. I don't know what Rascal would have done if I hadn't been with him, hopefully not try to kill it, he has always been gentle with every animal he's met even tiny day old chicks, so I was amazed to see such a reaction, he just knew somehow this animal was a threat. Last summer not long after we moved here I was at the doctors in town, they receptionist told me they had three people in one week tell them they had found either copperheads or tigers in their houses at night, she warned me to shut up all doors and windows when we went to bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillybob Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 (edited) I like having snakes in my yard, I don't have much control over them anyway I have a frog filled creak about 50 metres away and paddocks on two sides. They have a place in nature. If you don't want them don't have water supplies around, keep your lawn low and clean out all areas with places to hide. Mostly they like wood piles and tin piles, they are nice and warm. If you have chooks keep all feed well contained because they come after rats and mice. Keep your house rodent free but please use nice poisen that doesn't keep killing when a snake or an owl eats it. My neighbour on the property I lived on poisoned his rats and later over the next week I found all the RBBs that lived in my yard dead, who knows how many that went away to die somewhere else. I also meant to say the RBBs loved the mulch on my garden, because it was nice and warm and it gave rodents covered areas that they make tunnels in. Edited October 17, 2017 by gillybob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mita Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 It starts young. This is a favourite among Tibbie people. Band of 10 week old puppies on first trip outside their property...& watch the little guy go into the alert-warning mode. Who'll you put your money on, Ringo or George? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 1 hour ago, mita said: It starts young. This is a favourite among Tibbie people. Band of 10 week old puppies on first trip outside their property...& watch the little guy go into the alert-warning mode. Who'll you put your money on, Ringo or George? I get a message saying the uploader has not made this video available in your country. Do you have something against Kiwis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mita Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 It's available on the Animal Planet site itself. I wonder if that would download for you ... not going thro' You Tube as above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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