Shake, rattle, and strike.
Al Wolf with Sonoma County Reptile Rescue is showing off a particularly ornery rattlesnake he’s captured lately.
He’s out in Glen Ellen picking up a rattler that bit a man’s dog on Monday.
“She was relaxing in the shade and I think the snake came out on its own and she went to sniff, see what it was,” he said.
Ginger the Cocker Spaniel had to spend the night at the vet and get some anti-venom, but she’s fine.
This is the third snake spotted by the dog’s owner this week.
One was killed by a weed wacker.
He called the nonprofit to collect the one still slithering rather than kill it.
“I don’t really feel like we should kill him I mean unless we’re trying to protect ourselves but they kill mice, their part in the world that we live in, so so it’s just best to keep them alive,” he said.
Al Wolf has been catching and releasing the critters for nearly 30 years.
He says he’s been bit over a dozen times but says people really don’t have a reason to fear them.
This weekend a hiker on Mt. Tam was airlifted to a local hospital after being bit.
Wolf says while the venom can be fatal, it’s very rare.
“Between 5 and 7,000 people are better each year in the United States and less than one person dies each year — so everything is in your favor,” he said.
He says he’s picked up 22 snakes this week already.
The director of the Sonoma County Reptile Rescue says it’s too soon to tell whether this year is better or worse here for rattlesnake activity.
One reason he thinks we’re seeing a spike now is because this spring took so long to warm up.
“Our spike is happening in late April. It kept getting cold. Well, April is our breeding month so all of a sudden everyone’s coming out of hibernation, they’re all getting food, they’re all having sex right now, and it’s all right now so this is our spike,” said Wolf.
If you see one out on a trail, his suggestion is to back up, stay about three to four feet away, but go ahead and take a picture to show your friends you saw a rattlesnake.
Then leave it alone and let it be on its way.