Otto was the wise one and came to get me, nosing me until I noticed his brother was not with him. They stick pretty close together so I checked right away to see where Miles was. Miles had the snake in the place that he always takes his toys and sticks and was dancing around it. I spotted the odd dancing from the house and just knew it had to be a snake. When I saw the snake I grabbed Miles and Otto and got them in the house. Then I grabbed the camera and returned to take a few pictures so I could identify the snake. I like snakes and keep the good ones around but I was pretty sure the pups had picked a bad friend this time. I put a trashcan over the snake so he couldn't make an escape.
After some research my suspicions were confirmed, it was a poisonous copperhead. When I went back out to kill the snake, I noticed a small gash on his neck. A pup or pups had probably carried him down to the pool house patio as I had feared. Probably Miles. Miles had been jumping and backing away from the snake when it moved so it was likely the snake had bitten him at least once. How else would he know to jump clear of it?
Did more research on the internet about copperhead bites and they are rarely fatal to dogs or humans. I checked the pups over and couldn't find any bite marks at all and they acted fine. I gave them some benedryl just in case and a high dose of vitamin C which are supposed to help with snake bites. Watched them carefully for symptoms. Thank goodness there were none!!
RIP Copperhead. You were such a beautiful snake. The next time Otto came over I watched him carefully leap sideways to avoid stepping on a shadow on the pavement that resembled a snake. Hopefully the boys will leave snakes alone in the future.
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