I might complain from time to time about where I live and the surrounding areas, but there’s one thing I’m truly thankful for: I don’t reside in snake country.
Anyone who does will tell you it pays to never let your guard down, especially if you have youngsters who want to clumsily wander around the yard without regard for what might be lurking there.
For Rodney Bacon and his family, who live in Owyhee County, Idaho, a timely reminder of this fact almost cost his 3-year-old daughter her life…
Owing to the fact that Owyhee County is close to the Nevada state border, it boasts an abundance of prairie grass and sage bush. This makes it ideal rattlesnake territory, and all the more dangerous for it.
Cowgirl
Posted by Rodney Bacon on Saturday, July 21, 2012
It’s something Rodney Bacon doesn’t need reminding, especially not since a rattlesnake attempted to take a bite of his little girl. Rodney was on his way to collect mail from his SUV, with his 3-year-old, Harper, in tow, when he noticed their German shepherd, Trek, beginning to act strangely.
To begin with, the dog merely nudged the girl, but then began to push her away from the car.
“Stop pushing me! Trek stop pushing me!” Harper shouted.
What Rodney couldn’t have known was that the dog was trying to keep Harper away from a coiled rattlesnake sitting by the car. Both dad and daughter headed back inside, but not before the family’s other dog – a pit bull named Gracie – joined Trek.
Watch out for snakes people our dog killed two rattlesnakes, got bit 3 times and is now at the vet.
Posted by Rodney Bacon on Tuesday, July 18, 2017
“As soon as I closed the door the other dog starts barking at it,” Rodney said. “And that’s when she was going after it, and the closer I got to the snake, the more aggressive she got. She ended up killing the snake by the time I got the shovel.”
In the midst of protecting her family, Gracie had been bitten on the face. She ran off, though, and Rodney believed she’d disappeared to die on her own. Thankfully, however, she returned the following day.
Watch out for snakes people our dog killed two rattlesnakes, got bit 3 times and is now at the vet.
Posted by Rodney Bacon on Tuesday, July 18, 2017
However, that wasn’t the end of the story.
“The following day I came back at lunchtime and there was another rattlesnake there and she was sitting there and she killed that one too,” Rodney explained. “And she had another bite on her leg. At that point I tied her up and I was like, ‘I’m taking you to the vet right now.’”
Despite sustaining two rattlesnake bites, and sporting a swollen head for some time after as a result, Gracie is doing just fine now. “She can breathe, eat, drink, and she’s wagging her tail as happy as ever,” Rodney reported.
Watch out for snakes people our dog killed two rattlesnakes, got bit 3 times and is now at the vet.
Posted by Rodney Bacon on Tuesday, July 18, 2017
What brave dogs Trek and Gracie are. Rodney is lucky to have such courageous pets to look out for his young daughter.
Of course, it’s important to remember that often snakes don’t deliberately come after humans, they simply attack because they feel threatened. It’s always best to give snakes a wide berth when you see them, and take particular care to ensure your children are kept a good distance away.
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