April 16 - Lisa's Musings (on snakes) and Every Day Life

My dogs killed a snake today.

And I was an accomplice, even though I didn't mean to be.

Although I don't like snakes -- I jerk up my feet when I'm on the lawn tractor when I see one, and I won't move "suspect" agility equipment after I picked up a pole a bunch of year's ago and a snake came out -- I know that garter snakes are good snakes.

I'm told there is such a thing.

So, when snakes are dumb enough to sun in the dog yard and I see them, I turn on my heal and head the other way.

Usually, the dogs follow me and the stupid snake is smart enough to slither away while we're not watching.

Today, however, Driver found the snake before I did and it made the grave mistake of moving.

And, for those who don't know, moving or flying things are highly fascinating to retrievers.

Especially puppies.

So, while Driver tried to figure out what a snake was, Ryan already knew. He jumped over his brother and like a hawk, snatched up that snake like a furry creature of prey.

It happened so quickly, there was nothing I could do.

Ryan shook that snake, tipping his head back and forth really, really fast, whacking it against the ground and his body.

He dropped it once, it moved, so he grabbed it again. And, well, he whacked it around a bunch more times.

By the third time he picked it up, he dropped it pretty quickly again, and I was able to get close enough to determine ... it was dead.

My first clue was that its head wasn't exactly firmly attached to its body anymore.

My second clue was it was pretty icky looking and was really, really still.

Still enough that Ryan left it there -- because it wasn't much fun anymore.

If it doesn't move or fly, it's not very fascinating to retrievers.

Driver picked up the snake remains and trotted off with it, but he, too, got bored because it wasn't moving or flying anymore.

Plus, it didn't squeak.

So, that left it to me to scoop it up with a pooper scooper, and give it a proper snake burial.

I tossed it in the woods.

Some animal will have me to thank for a yummy dead snake dinner.