My heart is still pounding.

I'm out at my parent's house for a visit at the moment, about 20 minutes ago our dog Charlie (lab) was barking his head off and I couldn't see Russell so I went out to see what he was barking at... Russ was at the end of the deck just standing there so I walked down (not realising what I was walking past)

I turned around and looked back towards the door where Bonnie (corgi) had just come out and started sniffing at the metre long brown snake that was curled up next to the door mat! I saw it lunge at her and screamed at her to come to me and ran the dogs down to the front door of the house to let them inside, at the same time screamed to my parents that there was a snake out here (I neglected to mention that the snake was at the back door) so mum and dad come running out the door and got lunged at too, felt so bad!

Can't help thinking now - what if!? what if it got mum or dad? what if it got one of the dogs? how long has it been there? I've been in and out of that door all afternoon and the dogs have been sitting there too...

Kept an eye on the dogs to make sure they showed no signs of a bite, they're all ok. I'm glad though to know how Russell reacts to snakes now. it's how you want your dog to react - stay away! he was scared so he stayed right away from it, obviously not showing he terrier genes, phew!

sorry for the big post, that was about 40 minutes ago and I'm still all filled with adrenalin.

here is a picture of an Eastern brown snake we found at the side of the house two or three summers ago.



the one today was a little bit smaller than the one in the picture. just as deadly though!

still think you'd like to live in Australia? haha

unfortunately we've lost two dogs in the past to snakes, one to a brown snake and one to a tiger snake

Ugghhhh.....they scare me too. Good job he alerted you to it otherwise who knows what could of happened. Luckily nobody was hurt when it started lunging. That's one of the things that scares me when out walking in the warmer/hotter seasons here in Aus.

OMG i would have been in bits

Thank god we don't get that here, there is a perk lol. Glad everyones ok x

i couldn't live in australia with all the dodgy snakes,spiders and the rest

oh am i glad we only have grass snakes round here theyre harmless but no doubt the dippy animal i have wouldve tried to play with it. hope your mum and dad are cautious when outside

Oh no!!! I hope they're all okay?!?! I hate brown snakes. We've been keeping an eye out for them the last couple of weeks in this warmer weather. We've been contending with red backs as well

pixie

yeah I have been cautious too when walking in the bush, didn't expect to see one on the back deck!

Alicia can I ask what part of Bendigo you live in? I live in Kangaroo Flat, parents out at Mandurang

Wow, I'm glad we don't have anything like that here! The worst we have is the adder, and you have to be unlucky (or lucky, depending how you look at it!) to come across one.

We've had harmless grass snakes on the fields near us, but Dempsey doesn't take much notice of them.

I wish we had some harmless snakes around! the pythons are all up north and not so harmless when they are big lol.

i really like snakes but not when there is a threat of death to me or my dogs

I can't see the fascination with them, to be honest! Apart from bite, they don't do anything!

I don't mind the snakes, just don't like the idea they could hurt my Vlad. I'm in Kangaroo Flat too. The red backs are the concern. We check the yard every night, and we have used pet friendly insecticide, We are frequently (it seems like all the time!) getting rid of cobwebs around the windows and checking his kennel, shaking out his outside bedding etc. We have lived in other parts of Bendigo, and have never seen this many red backs!

What's a red back? I take it it's a spider?

Yep... the Black Widow is a similar spider. They are tiny and deadly... I am petrified of spiders! But, I don't mind going on the hunt if it means Vlad is safe. He's okay inside, as we don't see them in here... just outdoors.

http://www.termite.com.au/spider-identification.html

i dont mind spiders but these are scary

Steve, I agree! VERY scary!

pixie79 wrote:Yep... the Black Widow is a similar spider. They are tiny and deadly... I am petrified of spiders! But, I don't mind going on the hunt if it means Vlad is safe. He's okay inside, as we don't see them in here... just outdoors.

OMG! I'll just put up with the big hairy non-venomous spiders that run across my bathroom floor every so often!

Funnily enough, the Huntsman which is a massive ugly looking spider, is harmless... it's bite hurts, but they aren't lethal... the Funnel Web... Yucko! I miss the UK!!! Harmless spiders, snakes and you can go to the ocean and not worry about jelly fish, blue bottles (they're a stinger in Australia, not a fly) sharks... give me no creepy crawlies and I'm happy!

i wouldn't be able to sleep at night If i went to australia i would come back as a nervous wreck

LOL, it's not that bad, just when you see a big spider or a snake, your heart stops a few beats

Wow thats frightning,glad everyones ok.I couldnt live in australia,the spiders scare me

This is an image that will forever haunt me

LOL... believe it or not, that one is harmless... but I freeze and cry when I see a spider of any size!, so I can't give comfort

If i saw that in my house id cry,how do you get rid of one that big I have to get the hoover onto ones that come in my house.I dont think that one would fit up the pipe!

lisa

lol, alicia thats really weird I haven't seen any redbacks in my backyard! we get white tails... heaps of them and they make me squirm! yuck yuck yuck! redbacks dont worry me because they don't move much... might check Russell's kennel tonight though.

Russ was bitten by a huntsman and his lips all swelled up (bitten next to his nose) but he was fine!

I don't like spiders either, and we have loads of them around the place. We have our exterior treated each year when we get our annual termite inspection...and hubby does the home treatments from the hardware store every now and then.
Can never be too sure......hubby was quite ill from spider bite a couple of years ago. Ended up having about 3 weeks off work. Foot swelled up like a balloon and red rash on his foot and also carried up his leg. Very scary time indeed.

*shudder*

Yuk!!!

Loopy wrote:hubby was quite ill from spider bite a couple of years ago. Ended up having about 3 weeks off work. Foot swelled up like a balloon and red rash on his foot and also carried up his leg. Very scary time indeed.

this is why i would be a nervous wreck

GLad to hear it all worked out okay.

Spiders and snakes both scare me. Seen too many people bitten by both with realy bad results. Luckily there are no posionous ones in Japan. Well one snake but they are only in Okinawa which is a seperate island.

A few months ago Suki ran into the house with one in her mouth. Would have given me a heart attack in any other country.

I would love to go to Australia but then I read a post like this and it puts me right off

LOL... I guess we're used to it. I am very arachnophobic! If I am by myself and see a big huntsman, I am a mess!!!! *shuddering* My husband is usually the one to deal with it. I can't handle them! I won't hoover them alive because I am scared they'll crawl back out LOL. Snakes and the rest don't bother me, they are just a concern and an annoyance! The husband, who is a pom, isn't phased by any of them!