I'm not really afraid of the snakes as much as I am of the bears! Rattlesnakes pretty much mind their own business. The owner said he hadn't seen any in about 3 years, but he that is because there are Blow snakes there that eat them. I hadn't heard of them eating them, but I guess it's possible. Blow snakes are good snakes though, so they will be welcome to stay. They eat mice!
The shot doesn't actually prevent the dog from dying, but it helps. It kind of just gives you more time to get them to the vet to get them treated too. Also, if a dog has had the shots and gets bitten, the cost for treatment is usually about $200, compared to $1,000, easily, without the shots. At $15 each for two shots, it was well worth it, and they just get a booster shot every year after that. We'll get them for Maggie after we get up there. The day we took Bailey in, Maggie could barely walk from her bad hips. We decided she can wait, since she isn't one to mess with things anyway, especially if we tell her "leave it".
