Although helpful to any, this is basically information for all the Californian’s since the natives, (few and far between) and folks that have lived here for years already know. There are two off leash state parks in the Denver/Metro area, one is Cherry Creek State Park the other is Chatfiled State Park. The other leash park is Roxborough State Park very near Chatfield. Also known for rattlesnakes frequently in people’s backyards. The rattlesnake problems happen a great deal to people who have moved here from California illustrated by the following story.

As soon as the weather starts to get nice, my kids are banned from either park much to their dismay and we do not return to either until it starts to freeze. Two years ago I broke the rule feeling sorry for the kids and off we go to Chatfield. Armed with my umbrella, (great weapon for either wildlife or human wildlife) we are almost to the car. Having spent the entire walk holding my breathe and very happy the kids have made it safely until…

Eight feet from the car, Mr. Moose decides to stray off the paved path to the bushes to sniff. I hear the rattle before I see the snake. Mr. Moose not being really a dog listened when I said in the MOM voice, Moose, back up slowly and don’t turn around or run. He did exactly what I asked which is unusual but he knew this voice was different. As he was slowly moving backwards the snake started to coil.

As any stupid mom of any species and not thinking of the consequences, I throw myself in front of danger protecting my kid. Armed with the umbrella I jump in front of Moose and open the umbrella in front of the rattlesnake as it is getting ready to strike so it can sink it’s fangs in the umbrella not Moose or myself. The rest of the story we will leave out but neither Mr. Moosey nor I was hurt.

I take Moose back to the car where I am shaking and hyperventilating but realize that other people need to know there is a heathen rattlesnake where dogs will sniff. I start to tell people and they naturally veer off to the opposite side. Then someone says, “Oh, it’s just a King snake.” The first words out of my mouth were, “From California are you?” “Yes, how did you know? “Because only Californian’s say that”.

No matter what I tried to tell the group they knew better and let their dogs run into the same area where Moose and I almost got bite. Sure enough one of the dogs got nailed and the last I saw was a man running the dog to the car when they realized it was not a King snake. Naturally, they would not listen even when I was screaming DON’T LET THE DOG RUN!!

All you people from California pay attention here. WE DO NOT HAVE KING SNAKES IN THE METRO AREA! THEY ARE ONLY ON THE SLOPES!

The reason people from California think when they hear a rattle it is a King snake is that King snakes make a rattle sound in their throat and are a common thing in California. You may ask the Division of Wildlife or any herpetologist in Colorado and they will tell you the same thing. Unless it is a pet that got loose, you will never find a King snake at Chatfield, Roxborough, Cherry Creek State Parks or anyplace else in the Denver/Metro area.

We have many species of rattlesnakes in Colorado of which I have included some pictures if you click on the link Pictures but since there are so many different types in Colorado you can do a search on your own if so inclined. As much as I dislike snakes and not since I have been bitten twice by rattlesnakes, they deserve a home also. Their homes are being taken away as with all wildlife and we live in an age that when a wild animal moves into housing areas which was once their home and they attack the first impulse for a human is to kill it, not move it out of harms way. With the mass amount of humans populating the earth, more roads being built, more houses being built and God only knows we need more malls and strip malls the wildlife, including the snakes have no place to go.

When a dog gets bitten by a rattlesnake the survival rate depends on the size, age and health of a dog. A client’s 25-pound terrier mix was bitten 15 years ago and survived but we all knew it had to have been because he was just a little monster. The vet told the people that the snake probably died from biting the dog.

Generally if you have a 60 pound dog, younger and in good health they have a good chance to survive. Conversely if you take that same 60-pound dog who is old, has a lot of medical problems, odds are not as good.

You will always hear the “experts” say, to keep your dog safe keep them on a leash. Not only is that the most stupid thing to say I have ever heard but extremely inaccurate. So, if I am in a place that has a high potential for rattlesnakes and my dog is running amok they can get bitten. But of course if they are in the same area on a leash and sniff under a bush or in tall grass they won’t get bit. Why is this “expert” advice a pile of dog poop? DOGS SNIFF ON WALKS! What exactly are you supposed to do, take the dog for a walk and never let them pee or sniff?