Elaphe Obsoleta Obsoleta

The other morning, we walked out to a surprise waiting for us.

Mom! Mom! Did you see it? Did you see it? It was AWESOME!

This... is the "awesome" new toy they had discovered...

He lives in the woods... we've seen him before... but never up near the house. Fortunately, I am not afraid of snakes but I AM afraid of the pups being bitten by a snake.

After seeing them interact with this snake, they have confirmed my fears. They thought it was a really great new toy!

I actually felt sorry for the little, four foot long, guy. Fortunately we were able to corral the dogs without incident to them or the snake.... or us. Then I followed him around and took photos while he tried to escape back to the safety of his woodland manor.

Seriously, Lady... leave me alone!

And I did. Because he had started his day with quite the traumatic experience and I didn't want to contribute to his increasing therapy bills. But I'm pretty sure he won't be venturing this way anytime soon!