Iko, the Hero

I will put up with coyotes, feral pigs, raccoons, scorpions, snakes, spiders, and weeds so thorny one swipe draws blood, but NOT in my home. 

You can imagine my consternation when I found this.

Down here, we call it a chicken snake, though many people call them rat snakes. 

The biggest one I ever found was over six feet long and hiding in my chicken coop (many years ago). 

This one was only two feet long and slithering into my bedroom.

Iko, my HERO, spotted him right away and alerted me at once. When Tank saw what the problem was he tried to pull in front of me, I guess to protect me, but I pushed them both out and closed the door. At the time, I wasn't sure what kind of snake it was or if it was poisonous, and I didn't want the dogs to get hurt.

Our guess is he probably came in when we had the chicks out in the garage. I was doing quite a bit of running around between house and garage and left the doors open often.

The chicks had since been relocated. But snakey here didn't get the memo. For scaring me out of ten years, he doomed himself to death. 

I know. I shouldn't have killed him. But then he shouldn't have scared the dickens out of me.

He was extremely ill-tempered, lunging at me and shaking his tail. I was not amused.

Iko and Tank got numerous hugs and cookies. Good boys.

Side Note: Iko has since been forgiven for his many crimes against innocent furniture and rugs while he was a puppy. For saving me last night, he's earned Special Dispensation.

***

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Comments

DRC said…
So glad I live in the UK where the only thing I have to worry about coming in my house are spiders and the neighbours cat.

God knows what I would have done if I had seen that in my bedroom...*shudders
Maria Zannini said…
DRC: I'll admit, it's never dull around here. I wouldn't mind a little less excitement though.
Marianne Arkins said…
Thankfully we don't have venomous snakes here. DD is always game to grab and move... and I don't scare easy. I worry if DD ever moves south where there ARE venomous spiders and snakes,etc... she's so used to playing with them up here.
Sarah Ahiers said…
awww poor snaekum, but then, yeah, we're limited on venemous things up here, so i'm sure my attitude would be different if i thought the snake could pose a threat to my dogs.
Good Iko!
Angelina Rain said…
*Shudders* That must have been very scary. I'm glad Iko warned you. How did you kill the snake?
Angela said…
Yeah, I wouldn't want a snake in the house either. Thank goodness you have a hero like Iko.
Jennifer Shirk said…
Ack! Between the snakes and the scorpions I'd be sleeping with one eye open all the time. LOL
Maria Zannini said…
Marianne: One good bite teaches you that lesson, I'm afraid. Hope she never has to learn it the hard way.

Sarah: Yeah. It's one thing for me to get bit. Quite another if my pups are endangered.

Angelina: I made him a good snake with my trusty hoe.

Angela: I've never been fond of snakes, and strangely, I seem to encounter them all the time.

Jennifer: LOL. This might account for my constant lack of sleep.
Dru said…
Don't like snakes up close.
Maria Zannini said…
Dru: I'm not too crazy about them far away either. LOL.
Mike Keyton said…
But who's going to see to the rats?
Maria Zannini said…
Mike: You know, since I've been here I've seen no trace of rodents anywhere. I imagine the coyotes and hawks keep them at bay. We have a LOT of birds of prey around here.

Chicken (aka, rat) snakes will eat birds and eggs which is why I normally find them in and around our chickens.
Good dogs! I overcame my own fear for my dogs, too, flinging a snake over the fence with a shovel so my dog wouldn't be bitten. They're too important to risk. ^_^
Unknown said…
I knew there was a reason I liked living in the UK - other than the weather, of course. Let's hear it for Iko and Tank. Good dogs!

Have a great snake-free weekend!
Maria Zannini said…
Barbara: Absolutely. I don't take chances when it comes to my dogs.

Shirley: Are you saying there are no snakes at all in the UK? I wonder if I can relocate. LOL.
Jackie said…
Have you ever made one of those things so mad it actually chased you Maria, I have... Of course in doing so it sealed it's fate and like you said became a "good snake" at the end of my shovel with the body in one location and the head in another.

We came home one day about 3 years ago and my husband wondered why my cat who stays in his shop was hissing and screaming, he walked in and found a 5 foot chicken snake coiled up in the corner with the cat staring at it in total terror... We made that one a good snake too, it could have killed my poor Tom Cat and eaten him it was so big...

Good thing you have your boys to watch out for Mom, they did good!
Maria Zannini said…
Jackie: I've never had a snake chase me, but I have had them lunge. You just never realize how fast you can move when you have to. LOL.

Loved your comment on FB.
Jenny Schwartz said…
A snake in the house or chased by a snake? You know, I'm declining either option.

Glad you're safe, Maria, and what a really good dog Iko is. Tank sounds like his name -- charging in regardless :)
Renee Miller said…
I saw that pic and I shuddered and closed my eyes. Had to scroll down until he was gone. I. Hate. Snakes. Even tiny little ones give me the heebie-jeebies. Your dogs are awesome. My lab, Bear, is terrified of little animals and won't even go in the grass if he's seen a snake. The little one, Harley, he attacks everything. I doubt he'd have come an fetched me. Nope.


Did you take care of that thing yourself? I'd still be hiding in the closet crying.
Maria Zannini said…
Jenny: They are so laid back most of the time that when they act like this, it stuns me.

Renee: Now that suprises me with the way you write. I got the impression nothing scared you.

Me, on the other hand, everything scares me. But you do what you gotta do when the situation calls for it. I am alone too often. I've learned to handle things on my own.
Renee Miller said…
Oh lots of things scare me, and they're usually small, fast moving, with more than two feet or no feet at all. Seriously, something with no feet should not be able to move so fast.

But I also enjoy being scared now and then. I'm spoiled too. My dad comes and kills anything I consider too icky to deal with. I'm lucky he's just a phone call away. You see, if I were to ask Kurt to please deal with the snake/rat/mole/giant insect hiding in the house, he'd go get it...and then chase me with it or hide it in the shower/closet/my shoes. So, yeah. He's no help.
Maria Zannini said…
Renee:

Ref: and then chase me with it or hide it in the shower/closet/my shoes. So, yeah. He's no help.

hmm...sounds like Greg in his younger days. LOL. He finally stopped. (I think we both got tired of running.)

If it's faster than us, we let Smith & Wesson do the talking.
Renee Miller said…
We just have my stepson's pellet gun. We're both afraid if we had a real gun bad things would happen on one of my "bad" days. Not to anyone in the house, but to the neighbors and whatnot.
Sherri said…
I'd have freaked, LOL. Snakes inside no matter how "innocent" not for me!

We're on high alert right now because animal control was one house away the other day removing a rattler. I guess the construction down the road is at fault. Heard through the grapevine animal control has been in our area twice in the last six days to remove snakes. Oh yay :P

Way to go Iko! Glad you and the boys are okay Maria.
Claudia Zurc said…
Kudos to Iko and Tank! good doggies! :)
Motherly instinct, you protected your babies...and the chickens are safe, too! My question is, was this snake big enough to make a pair of sexy sandals and a bag? :))
Shelley Munro said…
I'm so glad we don't have any nasties like that here in New Zealand. Good on Iko and Tank for wanting to protect you.
Sarita Leone said…
Did you hear me scream? Seriously, I could believe the people down the block heard me shriek!

OMG. I'm awake now!

Off to find coffee...

I hope you don't find another "visitor" in your home.
Maria Zannini said…
Sherri: Not rattlers! Oh, I hate running into them. I always hear them before I see them and those few seconds of not knowing where they are feel like a lifetime.

Claudia: LOL. No. But it would've been good comeuppance.

Shelley: Maybe it's time I considered relocating to NZ.

Sarita: Was that you? LOL.