Snakes!!!

[prim8]

My dog has killed an unknown number of lizards, 2 snakes, 2 squirrels, at least 1 rat, 3 cats, and a raccoon.
She's some type of mutt, no idea what, but she's fast as lightning and as hyper as the day is long.
I feel a little bad about the dead animals, but you'd think they would be smart enough to stay out of the yard after awhile.

[GEM-Texas]

I once ran into two peacocks in Friedrich Park. Guess they escaped. Also, a big group of pigs - two adults and a zillion piglets running across the trail.

[mjfrog]

We live in a neighborhood that has large lots and a deer population that far exceeds their natural habitat. We have a few snakes, but they're always the narrow headed non-venomous type. Our neighborhood also has an above average population of cats. My experience from other locations is that cats control the snake population in two ways: 1) they kill the prey of most snakes, and 2) they kill snakes. Since we have a couple terriers that are not naturals as snake hunters, we engaged with the SA Feral Cat Coalition and acquired a feral cat (trapped one from near a place of employment), that we feed regularly.

We can't guarantee the success we have, but between our feral cat and the cats from our neighbors, snake sightings are a rarity in our yard. Unfortunately, we have a lot of deer lovers/feeders nearby, so the rodents eating leftover deer food are abundant which would support skunks, possums, and rats, also attractants for snakes. Yet, the cat presence keeps the snake sightings a rarity. HTH. At my place of work, we used to have a semi-feral cat that would often serve us up a "present" that was a headless snake, FWIW.

[mjfrog]

As for the presence of venomous snakes, we had an incident on one of the SA park trails, that could have easily resulted in a rattlesnake bite to either my dog or me. The closer you are to an easement or natural park environment, the more likely you'll encounter a venomous snake.

[tarragon]

I'd be more afraid of rats or mice!

[evening sun]

Originally Posted by prim8

My dog has killed an unknown number of lizards, 2 snakes, 2 squirrels, at least 1 rat, 3 cats, and a raccoon.
She's some type of mutt, no idea what, but she's fast as lightning and as hyper as the day is long.
I feel a little bad about the dead animals, but you'd think they would be smart enough to stay out of the yard after awhile.

It is hard for them to stay out, once they are already dead. Killing cats is uncalled for, they could be someones pets. It might not end well for the dog, one day , either.

[prim8]

The solution is simple, they stay out of my fenced in, gate locked back yard. It isn't like I order the dogs to kill the animals. It is their instinct.
The cats wouldn't be killed if their owner kept them in their house like a responsible pet owner.
It also isn't like the dogs get the animals first time. I see them trying for days sometimes before they finally catch them. The raccoon was a problem for about a week before she caught it.