Samson Says:
OK, so the other day, as mommy opened the door to let me out, I spotted movement over in a corner of the dog enclosure by daddy's so called snake-proof fence. I thought it was a lizard, so I ran over there, but it was something else. Mommy yelled at the top of her squeaky voice: Stop, Samson, a snake!! She's taught me how to stop (I'll say that much for her) so stop I did. That critter was gone in the blink of an eye, it was that fast!
Mommy went and got daddy and told him he was not allowed to kill the snake. He said he'd use the water hose. When I heard water hose, I went in the house and looked out the door window to see what they would do.
Sure enough, daddy found the snake's hiding place and started spraying water on its rear end, directing it with the hose to the fence. Mommy stood next to him, monitoring to make sure he didn't kill the snake. I saw it slither up the fence by the gate post. I guess that's how it got in. I almost felt sorry for the thing myself, as daddy directed the hose to its bottom and it had to climb up all that way.
Mommy said it was a racer snake and not poisonous. Daddy said it could still bite. Mommy said, auntie Rachael says in her classes that anything with teeth can bite. I said to myself: What else is new?
I wish mommy had taken some pictures of it instead of standing over daddy like that. The three above are some that mommy took a few years ago of another racer snake that couldn't decide if it wanted to hide or stick its neck out.
Samson: Mommy, while we're talking about snakes, I've been treated very well by my vet, so I trusted that I would get no more needles there. But last time, in comes a smiley person, a boy, and before I know it, he takes me away into another room. Where I get a needle, and OK, a pedicure. Why did I get a needle again?
Mommy: It was a rattlesnake vaccine. In case a rattlesnake would bite you, you would have some protection.
Samson: That's what I thought you said, but this snake was so scared of me and left so fast I barely got to see him.
Mommy: This was a racer snake, it's different from a rattlesnake. A rattlesnake may stand his ground and if you were to get too close to try to bite him, he could bite you first. And then you would be in big trouble.
Samson: You mean he wouldn't run away?
Mommy: Well, run? He has no legs, so run, no. What he may do is curl up in a ring, sort of, and rattle his rear end.
Samson: Rattle his rear end! That sounds like a lot of fun. I wish I could rattle my rear end, heh, heh, heh.
Mommy: This is no joke, Samson. He rattles to warn you to stay away. Because if he bites you, you will get very sick. Look at this snake, it's a rattle snake. See the rattles?
Samson: OK, mommy, I promise to himself: But I bet I could kill him first, while he's busy rattling away.
Have a nice day everyone!
Posed by Samson, the Samoyed Dog
