Utah family dog's encounter with rattlesnake offers warning to other pet owners

WEST JORDAN, Utah (KUTV) — A Utah family is grateful their dog is okay after she was bitten by a rattlesnake.

It happened Tuesday evening in their yard in Eagle Mountain.

But Justin Hardwick, the dog’s owner, said it was difficult to tell the snake was even dangerous since it was small – and had no rattler.

“I didn’t know this ‘til last night that the baby rattlers – until they shed – you can’t even tell,” Hardwick told KUTV 2News in an interview outside his business in West Jordan, as his 10-year-old Australian Cattle Dog, Ruby, stood nearby.

Hardwick said he had seen the snake earlier Tuesday evening.

“It coiled up and it started wiggling its tail, and I thought, wow, that may be a baby rattler,” he said. “I went and got a shovel and came back and pitched it over the fence.”

But later that evening, he said, Ruby started acting strangely.

“She was just kind of just mellow, and I walked in and looked down and the next thing I know, her nose is all blown up,” Hardwick said. “I didn’t even see her get bit.”

The snake was small, he said, and had no rattler, making it tough to tell it was dangerous. But the veterinarian later confirmed, it was a rattlesnake bite.

“Baby rattlesnakes are born without rattles,” said Megen Kepas, native herpetology coordinator at the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. “Adult rattlesnakes can actually lose their rattles as well, so it’s always good just as a general rule not to count on a snake rattling to warn you that it’s a rattlesnake or counting on being able to see the rattle visibly.”

Kepas said keeping yards clean and free of standing water can reduce the risk of rattlesnakes. There is also training available for dogs to teach them to avoid snakes and not stick their noses into trouble, she noted.

Additionally, anyone who finds rattlesnakes in their yard can call the DWR to have them removed, Kepas said.

“It’s never a good idea to attempt to remove a snake on your own,” she said.

As for Ruby, she got to the vet in time and after some treatment overnight, she’s on her path to a full recovery. Hardwick said he’s grateful.

“She’s a pretty special dog,” he said.