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Snakes Alive!

Linda Dightmon

Team AZOD

In mid-September a dog training weekend was held in the pines near Williams.  There were ten dogs in our group and Ken Middleton and Jay Amos from High Desert Hunt Club and Juniper Ridge Training Center (respectively) agreed to meet us at our camp for a snake avoidance clinic.  

Sunday morning at 9:00 sharp they rolled in with all the necessary tools including a three-foot female diamondback rattlesnake. I asked them how they knew that it was a female and they told me that it had babies a while back. I guess that would be an indication. 

 First all dog owners were asked to gather around so that the procedure could be explained to us. Ken would mind the snake while Jay brought our dogs up to it one at a time up to her. The dog would be fitted with an e-collar. It is the timing that is crucial. Jay explained that he would be watching the dog carefully to see those lungs expanding. When he was sure that the dog got a good scent from the snake, he would hit the dog with current. The dogs would be brought to the snake three times. After the initial “meeting”, the dog should be backing up.  It is not pretty, they warned. If you think seeing your dog getting zapped is going to bother you, then don’t watch. 

With that said, the snake was brought out, milked, and the fangs were snipped off. For more insurance the snake’s mouth was taped shut. (Still another use for duct tape.) As one could imagine Ms. Diamondback didn’t much care for this abuse. By now she was most agitated and ready for war.  

He brought ten dogs up to the snake. All but two put their noses up to it. The two that didn’t had been through the process within the last three years. One of those dogs was mine. I was very pleased when my bitch, Millie, heard the snake and immediately did a 180. It is not fool proof but there are few places in Arizona where rattlers don’t occur. A little piece of mind is always welcome.     

There are several kennels around the state offering snake-breaking seminars at this time. Jay Amos is from Ashfork. He can be contacted at 928-637-2631 

From here, I will let the pictures tell the story.