This is Sophie

     HERE IN THE TUCSON AREA, SOMETIME AROUND APRIL EACH YEAR, RATTLESNAKES UNTANGLE THEMSELVES FROM THEIR WINTER SLEEP AND SLOWLY SLIDE OUT OF THEIR DENS TO SEEK FOOD.  ALONG THE WAY, THEY OCCASIONALLY ENCOUNTER AN UNWARY DOG THAT RECEIVES A PAINFUL, LIFE -THREATENING BITE.  SADLY, RECOVERY FROM A RATTLESNAKE BITE CAN BE LONG AND COSTLY, AND IS NOT GUARANTEED.

     SO, IN LATE MARCH THIS YEAR, MY WIFE AND I TOOK SOPHIE, OUR THEN EIGHT-MONTH OLD RAT TERRIER, TO SNAKE AVERSION SCHOOL.  THERE SHE JOINED LABS, GERMAN SHORTHAIRS, BRITTANYS, GOLDENS, AND OTHER DOGS TO LEARN ABOUT RATTLESNAKES FIRSTHAND.  LIKE THE OTHERS, SOPHIE WAS FITTED WITH A SHOCK COLLAR AND THEN LED TO THE FIRST OF TWO SNAKES.

     THE FIRST SNAKE WAS UPWIND WITH ITS RATTLES TAPED SO ONLY THE DRIFTING SCENT WOULD ALERT HER.  SENSING THE SNAKE, SHE BEGAN MOVING TOWARD IT; INCHING CLOSER AND CLOSER, SHE PREPARED TO POUNCE, WHEN, JUST THEN, THE TRAINER PUNCHED THE SHOCK BUTTON.  SOPHIE JUMPED, YELPED AND RAN TO US; WE PICKED HER UP AND SOOTHED HER UNTIL ALL WAS WELL AGAIN.

     SOON SHE WAS LED TO THE SECOND SNAKE THAT WAS RATTLING AWAY SO SHE WOULD LEARN TO RECOGNIZE ITS NOISE.  CAUTIOUSLY THIS TIME, SHE SLINKED FORWARD ABOUT TEN FEET, HALTED, WHIRLED, AND SWIFTLY SCAMPERED BACK TO US—NO SECOND SHOCK NEEDED.  “ I THINK SHE’S GOT IT, “ SAID THE TRAINER,  “LOOKS LIKE SHE PICKED EVERYTHING UP RIGHT AWAY.”

    BACK HOME A FEW WEEKS LATER, WE SET OUT FOR OUR USUAL MORNING WALK ON THE PATH THAT CIRCLES OUR PLACE.  BUT THIS TIME, SOPHIE STOPPED, SNIFFED, TURNED, AND QUICKLY TROTTED BACK TO THE HOUSE AS IF SAYING, “YOU KIDD’IN ME, THERE’S RATTLESNAKES OUT THERE!”  THE NEXT DAY SHE CIRCLED THE PATH CALMLY.  APPARENTLY, THE SNAKES HAD MOVED ON.

NEXT MONTH WE’LL TAKE SOPHIE BACK FOR A RE-TEST
TO BE SURE SHE’S LEARNED HER LESSON.   I‘M BETTING
 SHE WON’T GET OUT OF THE CAR.

      YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SNAKE AVERSION TRAINING BY DOING A GOOGLE SEARCH OF THE INTERNET UNDER ‘‘SNAKE AVERSION TRAINING FOR DOGS”.  INTERESTINGLY, TWO ARTICLES RECOUNT HOW  “SNAKEPROOFED” DOGS WARNED THEIR OWNERS OF
RATTLESNAKE DANGER.

VIRGIL H. HARE, TUCSON, ARIZONA, JUNE 2004