Hiking, snakes and your dog

I don’t know if you remember Harrison Ford in the first Indiana Jones adventure but the most memorable part for me is when he was dropped into a snake pit. He said, “Snakes, I hate snakes.” I’m not a big snake fan either, but I recently bought a remote control snake for my grandson. It’s pretty creepy and we tried to fool the dogs with it. They ignored it.

As a youth my husband spent summer vacations camping in the desert with his rock hound family. His most vivid memory is when his dog refused to go into a bush but his cat ventured forward. Poor Bennie got a snake bite right above the eyes. Bennie survived because the skin above the eyes is pretty thin and the snake’s fangs bounced off his skull, so he didn’t get a lot of venom.

I’m not so sure the dog would have fared as well as Bennie did because he was a pretty big boy and there was a lot more to hit. Dogs are usually bitten on their limbs, neck, head or face which causes severe swelling in those areas. The venom may produce nausea, vomiting, and lethargy. If your dog is bitten, you need to get him or her to the vet pronto.

I recently read about snake training for dogs, and several are offered in the immediate area. Snake aversion is usually reinforced by using an electric collar, but some trainings use smell and sound to reinforce behavior.

Personally, I think it would be a great advantage to have a trained dog walking with you in the desert. I definitely don’t want to have any close encounters of the snake kind. If you are interested in snake aversion training for your dog, Get Rattled is a group that collaborates with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. You can call them for details at 775-234-8844 or go online to getrattled.org.

WHO’S WHO

Our Who’s Who this week is Sid Hess who works at Chugach. He is the great person who graded our road. Sid spent his free time to make a big difference at CAPS and saved us from the bottomless pot holes. We think you are the greatest so a Four Paws salute to you!

We always welcome volunteers to help at CAPS. If you like to walk,or just play we have the right partners for you. Call Rita at 423-7500 to get involved and meet the guests.

WHO’S NEW AT THE CAPS’ ZOO?

Do you like sweets? You’ll love our girl Candy. She is a red heeler cross who is three-years old. Candy is a bit shy and would love a calm home with a kind soul. She does well with other animals but isn’t thrilled with children. Come meet our sweetie, and she will steal your heart.

CAPS’ NEWS AND EVENTS

CAPS’ annual garage sale will be on August 5 and 6. We need your gently used appliances, furniture, tennis rackets, treadmills, clothing and miscellaneous items. If you have items to donate, call Rita Hand at 423-6346 or 427-3376. Please leave a message if necessary, and Rita will return your call as soon as she can

CAPS will be at Walmart on July 16 along with Ki and Tucker at our Kissin’ Booth. Please come by and give our boys a big hug and kiss. We have caps, short sleeved t-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts so please check them out before or after greeting our canine volunteers. You can also pre-order the 2017 Happy Endings Calendar

Flower Tree Nursery will again be raffling a 15-gallon autumn fantasy maple. The drawing date is September 15, and the winner doesn’t have to be present to win. Raffle tickets are available at Flower Tree, and they are $1 for one ticket and $5 for six tickets.

CAPS’ mailing address is P.O. Box 5128, Fallon, NV 89407. CAPS’ phone number is 775-423-7500. Please visit our Facebook page (Churchill Animal Protection Society). Be sure to “Like” CAPS on Facebook because we are really likable.

Our website is presently undergoing construction. Watch this column for the grand opening of our new site.

Do you have questions, comments or a great story? Contact me jkwmil@outlook.com.

Kathleen Williams-Miller, a CAPS volunteer, contributed this week’s column.