Mike

My dog Siegfried as a one year was hit in the shoulder by a large common brown snake. I saw it from about 40 metres away. I ran forward thinking I had a dead dog walking around. Luckily he moved away several steps after being bit. Thankfully the snake didn't seem to get any poison into him. I pulled him away and got my wife to block the snake from going to cover. Got the shotgun and one dead brown snake.

That spot is always a hot spot for snakes. We believe they breed in some drain pipes under an old railway line. Since filled in. He didn't show any effects other than being very excited. He fully knows what a snake is and for the next few weeks jumped at sticks on the ground and anything snake like. Gave him electric collar training and for a while wouldn't go near a snake.But is a curious dog and after a while when smelling one jumps but then goes looking for it.

Another time I was digging soil on my land near the same old railway line. With the tractor lifted some old sleeper posts and out came a snake. Had a .22 Magnum and put one into its back. Guess what? Along comes Siegfried to see what I had shot like a good retriever. I yelled at him and like a good dog what does he do? Comes running straight to me. Straight over the live snake and due to my yelling stopped. Standing right over the snake. I reached in. Grabbed his collar and yanked him six feet through the air. He survived that one too.

This area is a high grass area and probably acts like a natural corridor for wildlife. But it is also an area where when picking grapes I have a lot of staff moving around. As in this case I had 20 to 30 pickers ariving the next day to pick and they park there cars in this area so brown snakes are a menace there. While protected unless a danger there is no shortage on my farm so no need to be concerned about one or two that bite a bullet. Usually they escape quite easily.

I think the vitamin C remedy mike be a good thing to be prepared with.

Bakes - thanks for the reply. He knows what the controller is and I did have him wearing it without it being turned on. He is a smart dog.

I enjoyed "Bwana Samakis" (Muarray Mitchell's) writings. Pity he never put them into a book as once he mentioned and pity he no longer has a column. It was the first thing I read in the old Shooters Journal. He also edited my articles in the Yearbook where I submitted my articles. Got four published in the Yearbook. He said they took a lot of editing