Little Dude killed a snake..... - Page 1

So, I let the dogs out not too long ago, and "Little Dude" my youngest dog (26 weeks) nose dives full speed into the leaves along side the fence and pulled out and killed a snake. I don't know how he did it, and that fast at that.  It was a black snake, maybe 2 feet long, goldish/yellow stripes going around the entire body every few inches.  I did a lot of looking online and the only thing I could find is that it might be a king snake, which is common here in the south.  It said they're not poisonous, but should I be concerned for any reason with him killing it? I don't know much about snakes or if they can carry diseases or what.  

Killing a snake does not pass disease or infection to a dog or cat but if it is poisonous and it bites him he could die, dogs opposite to cats are not known for killing snakes, it is better for a dog to kill a snake by hitting her on the head with his fore leg and not with his mouth, if the snake bites him in the mouth or on the head he wouldn't last long till given medicine, that dude is a courageous one, lol.

Ibrahim 

I'm pretty certain he didn't get bit thankfully.  From what I read they aren't poisonous......but still.  He was incredibly quick and accurate.   I don't know how he does it.  He's slightly bigger now than he is in my picture, it's a few weeks out of date.  He is getting good at catching moles, birds, and other things that get in our yard......just as long as he doesn't come up with a skunk or something one day lol.  

he's got balls.  I like him.  He needs a new name now.  "Big Dude"  or "Little Snake Eater Dude"

The dog I had as a child was an avid snake hunter.  If he got hold of one, you had to run because guts would fly.  He'd shake them so hard, pieces flew in all directions!  Needless to say, if my brother and I were out to catch snakes, we'd leave him home :)  He also hated lit cigarettes and if someone flicked one, he'd bite it until it was extinguished, then shoot them a dirty look!  Tough, smart dog!  Wish I could have cloned him because I'll never have another like him.  Gotta love a dog with that much heart and it sounds like you've got one.

GSDguy08,

It's a double edged sword in my eyes. Just depends on your location and what species are located there? If you travel, camp etc.? On one hand situation might dictate that the dog save a life; you, family, child etc. and that situation could end up one of two ways.......

But curiosity? And wherever your at? Poisonous? We had a small thread on this subject a while a back. I travel/vacation in the South West, (New Mexico) and am originally from Michigan so I want my dogs to be "Cautious" of snakes. The farm I live on also has LARGE, (4 - 6') black snakes plus snapping turtles and other critters/creatures. So, I don't want my dogs running "into" everything. Just my preference.

On the other hand it would've been cool to see! 

alboe, I'm in the southeast, in middle TN.  From what I gather from pictures/research it was a King snake.  King snakes aren't poisonous and they actually eat other poisonous snakes.  Apparently they're common around here.  I just don't usually see many snakes here.  I saw a yellow snake with white stripes in the past here (6 months ago, and that was before Little Dude was even old enough to walk or go outside), no clue what it was though.  I do travel sometimes, but it's typically to Kentucky or Indiana and neither I or my dogs have run into any snakes there.

Ace, lol......Well, I've always wandered what I need to call him when he's not so little anymore.  Especially if he ends up with Max's big "football neck" as I call it.

GSDtravels, gross lol.  Little Dude didn't do that, I told him to drop it before he got to that point.

Are you sure it was a king snake and not a coral snake? Just curious. Our king snakes here are pretty fast, but a large coral snake my dogs found was sort of just hanging out.

No diseases from a snake to a dog, but he obviously didn't get bitten by a coral snake...next time he might not be so lucky if he's a snake hunter!

Shadylady,  just did a google/image search for the Coral Snake.  I didn't find one that remotely looked anything like the snake I saw.    I'm very certain it was a King snake.

This one looks really similar to what I saw   http://media-3.web.britannica.com/eb-media/63/10463-004-9777EB4F.jpg    That's a King snake

This one looks similar as well   http://wwwnew.towson.edu/herpetology/Species%20Photos/King%20Snake.JPG 

The "rings" as I called them may have not fully gone around the entire body, it just looked like it from where I was standing and after I told him to drop it on the ground.  I just tossed it with the shovel into the field after that.

I meant to add to the previous message, that unlike that last picture,  the one I saw, the head was solid black on the top.