VICTORIA ADVOCATE (Texas) 29 August 04 Snake-proofing class helps dogs survive (Jason Collins)

There is a fondness and, more often than not, a love that develops between a man and his dog.

We call them man's best friend, knowing their loyalty to us is matched only by our loyalty to them.

We spend hundreds of dollars making sure they are healthy and have all their shots, while we will wait until we're at death's door before we take ourselves to a doctor.

It's this affection for our four-legged friends that prompted Tim Rideout to hold his first snake-proofing class 20 years ago to help decrease the chances of a dog being bitten.

This part of the world is known for, among other things, huisache and rattlesnakes, and it's the latter that can kill a dog with one quick bite.

This year's training will begin at 7 a.m. Sept. 11 at Rideout's place on Farm-to-Market Road 2615.

"We get a lot of good reports from the people in the past," Rideout said. "I know it definitely works. I have seen it with my own dogs when they avoid a rattlesnake."

The training is quick, he says, about five minutes per dog anywhere between eight months and 10 years old. "We have done some dogs that are younger. We want to know if it is a younger dog because we want to do them a little different," he said. "The older dog, you want to ingrain in them that the snake is going to hurt them."

This is done with a defanged rattlesnake that is just a little cranky and a shock collar around the dog's neck.

The idea is teach the dog to associate the pain of a shock with the sight, scent and sound of a rattlesnake.

The cost, he added, is nominal compared to a $500 or more vet bill for a bitten dog. First time training is $40 and $20 for follow-up visits.

From poodles to Great Danes, size doesn't matter.

"We do about any type of dog. I have some small collars we use on the smaller dogs," Rideout said.

He recalled one time of having a poodle brought in to the course.

No collar would fit around the dog's neck, and snapping it around its waist might have killed it.

Then someone came up with an idea: "Will the dog sit?" they asked its owner. "We made him sit on the collar and then brought the snake to him," Rideout said.

The poodle jumped an easy 10 feet into the air when the collar zapped his behind. It worked. "As far as we know, the dog has never been bit."

Beyond keeping a dog safe from the pit vipers, there is the added incentive that a dog's reaction to snakes after the training might save the hunter from a painful bite.

"You get a different reaction out of every one of the dogs," Rideout said.

When an owner knows how his dog will react, he knows when a snake is nearby. "If the dog is going along and you see him run behind you or jump off the trail, you know there is a snake up ahead," Rideout said.

Training is held on an appointment basis but walk-ins are welcome. Those without appointments will be handled when there is slack time between the appointments.

Training begins at 7 a.m. and will continue until about 2 p.m., depending on the amount of dogs signed up.

To reach Rideout Kennel, where the training is being held, take U.S. Highway 87 south, past the Highway 59 overpass, to Farm-to-Market Road 2615. Signs will be posted on 2615 indicating where the training is being held.

For more information or to make an appointment, call Rideout at 361-578-5090.
Snake-proofing class helps dogs survive

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