Snakes and Scorpians vs. my dog (Santa Fe, Las Vegas: scorpions, living, activity)

[jupitersleeps]

I love this site...such great responses!

I was reading the "insect life" thread and was wondering if any of the poisonous critters are a problem with dog owners. Our dog is extremely playful, so if something wanders into the house, he WILL check it out and probably **** it off (he's kind of like that guy you meet at parties that has good intentions but gives you a rash by being a little too friendly...people think it's cute, other animals- not so much).

Also, what about the outdoors? He's a big guy and likes to run, so we try to take him to places where we can let him off the leash. Are there any dog parks in the area, or just good places to let him run about? Ditto with the poisonous critter question.

[Vinegaroon]

Ortiz Dog Park. Great dog park, but it is not fenced. There are benches, waste cans, poop sacks, and water. Directions: North on St. Francis. West on Alamo. North on Crucitas at the round-about. Take next left to large parking area.


There's two other fenced areas I have seen at the entrance to the Santa Fe Animal Shelter, but they do not look very inviting. Still, they might be nice places if your dog is not the social type because I hardly ever see anyone using them.

[mrschilicook]

I can't speak for New Mexico, but I lived in the Las Vegas NV area for 5 years and they have both so I'm guessing the answer would be the same. I have a young black lab mix (70 pounds) who sticks her nose into anything living or dead...often to my chagrin.

We lived north of the city about 8 miles out of town and never saw a snake in our yard. We had them in the area but they stayed away from human activity for the most part. So it was never a problem with the dog.

We only saw scorpions at night outside so it wasn't an issue with her. But we were careful to not let her stick her nose into boulders and such when we went on walks (leashed). Dogs can be smart about these things, but you just have to keep an eye on any health changes.

My lab was recently bit in the posterior by a brown recluse. By the bites location I would say she either squatted over it or sat on it. She has an ugly hole the size (and depth) of a thumb near her arse. The vet said it had happened 2-3 days earlier. So my best advise is to watch for changes in your dogs behavior or skin...then go to the vet if something acts or looks "off".

Like kids, they will get into something if they can....

[VT2NM]

I don't know about scorpians, but the snakes are there. I recently had a bull snake (not poisonous, but I didn't know that at the time) invite himself into my living room. I got my three dogs out of the house, called animal control, to which they responded swiftly and removed him. I now take a closer look while walking around outside. no big deal, i guess.

certainly no shortage of dog parks in Santa Fe. i don't know where it is, but apparently there's one that you can sign up to reserve for a period of time if your dog doesn't get along with others, or perhaps he's not neutered as many parks have a rule about that which will be vehemently enforced by any other crabby old new yorker transplant that happens to spot nuts on your dog! (sorry, bad experience with one of them).

in addition there are plenty of trails out where i am (eldorado) where you can just let them off leash and run ahead of you on the trail. i've found the biggest deterrent to "off leash" outside of a dog park are the low growing prickly cactus "wannabe's." there's one in particular that will gladly shed its barbs into your dog. not a huge deal, but some diligence in finding all the barbs is needed as i've found it's pretty uncomfortable for the dog.

[Robhu]

I would imagine that like humans, some dogs can be more allergic to bites from various crawley critters or even stings from flying ones. I would not ignore any symptoms or abnormal behavior.
I don't know if you have skunks in your area but a couple weeks ago my lab mix was investigating what I thought was a cat under some bushes. It was dark out and by the time I realized what it was the dog was pulling on the leash trying to get to it. She was pretty close to the skunk before I pulled her back. I'm very surprised we didn't get sprayed. Now I don't let her get close to anything that I don't know what it is. She doesn't go after anything to hurt it, she just likes to check things out.
Curiousity almost made me and the dog very stinky.

[jupitersleeps]

Originally Posted by VT2NM

apparently there's one that you can sign up to reserve for a period of time if your dog doesn't get along with others, or perhaps he's not neutered as many parks have a rule about that which will be vehemently enforced by any other crabby old new yorker transplant that happens to spot nuts on your dog! (sorry, bad experience with one of them).

Ugg...that drives me crazy!

My dog is "intact" and he's not in the least bit aggressive. Funny, I'm from upstate New York and was hoping to get away from the sensitive crazies, but apparently some of them have beat me to the punch.

As far as what you said about the trails- my boyfriend has been doing some research on the hunting and hiking rules of NM and came across some weird stuff. Are there a lot of places where you can't hike without a permit? I think I might actually make a fresh thread on hunting and hiking, as it could definitely be a deal-breaker for us (hunting = cleaner food/lower grocery bills).