Don’t Blame The Snake

A while back I wrote a couple of blog posts about people who lose animals to predators while camping in the Arizona desert every year, and about the dangers one has to be aware of when in the desert. But the desert is not the only place where you or your pet can get into trouble.

I got an e-mail yesterday from a reader whose dog had to be put down after it was bitten by a rattlesnake in the Texas Hill Country. She said they stopped at a roadside table to stretch their legs and let the dog run and get some exercise. They heard the dog barking at something and then yelp in pain and got to their pet just in time to see a large rattler slithering away through the grass.

And just like another reader who lost a pet to a hungry coyote in Arizona, these folks are upset because there were no signs warning them of the presence of snakes. “We are heartbroken because this could have been prevented,” they wrote. Yes, it could have been prevented, if they would have used common sense. You can’t blame the snake, it was only protecting itself from a dog that had invaded its space.

Predators and dangerous animals don’t only live in the desert. Snakes like pretty meadows filled with flowers too. If you are out in the countryside anywhere, be it the Southwest, Midwest, or wherever, you have to exercise a certain amount of caution and keep your animals under control for their own safety.

Terry and I have been spending our days at the bedside of our friend Shar Lewis at Hospice of the Valley, trying to comfort and support her husband Jim as she makes her transition to the other side. We come home at night physically and emotionally exhausted, grab something for dinner, answer important e-mails, write and post the blog, and go to bed so we can do it all again the next morning.

Meanwhile, thanks to our faithful readers, the 9 More Killer Thrillers anthology that I am participating in made it to #142 on the USA Today bestseller list yesterday, and is #1 in its category on Amazon. Thank you for your support. If you haven’t checked it out yet, this is a heck of a deal, nine full length mysteries and thrillers for just 99¢. How can you go wrong with a deal like that?

And don’t forget this week’s Free Drawing for an audiobook of Big Lake Lynching, the second book in my Big Lake mystery series. All you have to do is click on the Free Drawing link and enter your name in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed and will be deleted. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening.

Thought For The Day – It’s never too late to become what you want to be, unless what you want to be is younger. Then you’re screwed.

Check Out Nick’s E-Books In Our E-Book Store

Click Here For Back Issues Of The Gypsy Journal

Click Here To Subscribe To The Gypsy Journal