5.23.16  This is probably not something you want to see on your morning hike with your dog.  This past week we saw a rattlesnake on a trail, but it did not have its’ rattles.  It was not a garter snake.  It had the protruding jaw line and coloring of a rattlesnake.  Please be careful when walking and hiking in rural terrain.  Sometimes rattlesnakes will rest quietly under a a bush right off a path and if a dog sniffs it out, it can be deadly.  There are rattlesnake vaccines and avoidance training for dogs, but we do not know how effective they really are.  Please check with a professional.  It is always best to keep dogs leashed and close!