Snakes and a Wild Turkey

I took the dogs for a walk that turned into something more than I had planned. Alabama Power Company was trimming trees around the power lines here, so to avoid getting near them, I took another route. Not long after I decided which direction to walk, I saw a big scraper in the middle of the trail





The trail took me to a part of the creek that was too deep to wade. Since I didn't feel like getting wet or turning around, I walked the bank awhile.



I climbed a bluff overlooking the creek.



At the top of the bluff, I cut through the woods to get to another trail that would take me to a shallower part of the creek. This time of year I am very careful about where I put my feet in the woods. Snakes are out. Step on one and I am likely to get bit.



After finding the trail I was looking for, I walked for about 10 minutes before I noticed that one dog was missing. I called her name and she didn't come. I walked another few minutes and then backtracked to look for her. Still no Maggie.

I turned around and walked to the creek, beginning to seriously wonder if something had happened to her - the most likely thing, a snake bite. A young lab like Maggie will probably pick one up and play with it, if she doesn't step on it by accident.

Not long after getting to the creek, I heard a rustling in the weeds. I thought it might be Maggie. I turned around and saw this.



I was disappointed that it wasn't Maggie. I snapped a quick photo. I have had this blog for more than two years, and I've seen dozens of wild turkeys. This is the first one that moved slow enough to have its picture taken.





I watched the turkey walk down the trail and eventually out of sight. If it was aware Daisy and I was nearby, it didn't think we were a threat. If that was the case and Daisy had have seen it (she was in a gully), the turkey would have changed its mind about that real quick.

By this time, Maggie had been missing over an hour. I walked across the creek, and up the trail for awhile. Daisy was staying very close to me, and I wondered why she wasn't with Maggie wherever she was. I soon turned around and backtracked, hoping Maggie would find us. When I passed the spot where I noticed she was missing, I lost hope of finding her again.

A little while later, Daisy left the trail and was on the trail of something. I was hoping it was Maggie, but Daisy came back alone. A few minutes later, I heard something coming up in back of me. I turned around and it was Maggie, tongue hanging out and limping. She had been gone 2 1/2 hours.

I couldn't see any wounds, but she looked like she had been through something rough. I was still thinking snake. Instead of leading as usual, she followed behind me. Eventually she just laid down on the trail. I was still a mile and a half from home. I put her on my shoulders and started walking. She must have needed a rest, because after I put her down to take a break, she followed me the rest of the way home.

When I got home, I took her to the vet. By that time, her leg had swollen to twice its normal size. The vet found two puncture wounds on her paw. Snake bit. The vet said she has seen three dogs that were bitten by timber rattlers already this year. She saw twelve last year. Maggie is staying the night at the vet and will probably be OK.