Dan, the snake man

I went through the garage with the dogs to collect eggs this afternoon and saw Emma jump from a snake. I saw just enough of it to know it was not a Diamondback but a Red Racer. I hurried the dogs back inside the house and called my intrepid husband to the rescue.

We do see some snakes here in the summer, including Diamondback Rattlesnakes, but not many. I think they are beautiful animals of the desert, and they certainly have more of a place here than we do so we have gone to some length to not kill them. And I must say that we have always found them in non-threatening ("I just ate, and please leave me alone") situations. So we try to catch them and move them away from the house with whatever tools we have available.

This year I asked Dan to order special reptile tongs so that we do not damage the animal in our efforts to save him. So far the tongs have saved 2 Diamondbacks lives on Dave and Barbara's property.


So here is Dan, ready for the Red Racer. We looked all over the garage, which is uncluttered now that we have the Shop/Shed, and no sign of the snake. I finally suggested he might have crawled into a hole in the back of the freezer, and that was indeed the case. Thankfully he decided to leave on his own accord, so no tongs needed this time. Never a dull moment at the WD!