Our First Snake

My sweetie is working on the hot water heater now (and I can't wait to be able to take a HOT shower finally). He came in a few minutes ago and ordered me to come outside, but "don't let the dogs out." Ooooohkaaaay...

Although he didn't rush down the stairs, I suspected there might be something he planned to show me. He wasn't being quiet or stealthy, so it couldn't be a bird or a rabbit. Finally, as he rounded the corner, he said, "Hurry, it's getting away."

There, going under the house, was a snake. My first thought, despite liking snakes, was, Oh no, a snake is going under the house!

My sweetie reminded me, however, that this was a good thing. The particular snake slithering through the crack in the cheap plastic skirting was a kingsnake. It will gladly eat most anything it encounters around the place, including small mammals (voles maybe?) and even rattlesnakes. This means we have our very own pest control agent now, living under our home.

The dogs have never reacted to lizards so we hope that they will not pester the snake. I will keep an eye out for it in case it decides to hang out under the porch, an area accessible to the pooches. I'd much rather have the wildlife eating the local pests than my dogs.