Welcome to聽Tough Love. We鈥檙e answering your questions about dating, breakups, and everything in between. Our advice giver is聽Blair Braverman, dogsled racer and author of . Have a question of your own? Write to us at聽toughlove@outsideinc.com.
I live in southern California and my husband and I have a medium-sized dog. My husband is outdoorsy and loves to take the dog hiking, and obviously the dog likes that as well. Unfortunately, we live in an area with rattlesnakes. My husband knows better than to walk up to a snake on the ground, but the dog doesn鈥檛 know, so I often worry while they鈥檙e out. I鈥檝e expressed my discomfort several times but he says he鈥檚 careful. He also pointed out that there are mountain lions around us and he is safer with a dog. I just can鈥檛 get the image out of my head of our girl seeing a rattlesnake and chasing it or pouncing on it before my husband can stop her. He loves her, but I don鈥檛 know if he鈥檚 as careful as I would be. How can I make sure that she鈥檚 safe?
You鈥檙e facing one of the great challenges of being responsible for someone (human, canine, or otherwise):聽finding a balance between giving them freedom and adventure on the one hand, safety and security on the other. Your dog loves hiking; hiking could expose her to venomous snakes. It鈥檚 something I think about as a dogsledder, too: if I go into the wilderness with my dogs, who are trusting me to take care of them, how much risk is appropriate for me to assume on their behalf? How do I keep them as safe as possible while also giving them the kind of active, adventurous life that they love?
The answer, of course, is that every situation is unique; there鈥檚 no universal right or wrong. How often does your husband see rattlesnakes? Are his favorite trails frequented by other people, who might give warning if he鈥檚 coming up on one? Under what circumstances is your dog on or off her leash? How responsive is she to voice commands鈥攊n other words, if she runs toward a snake and your husband tells her to stop, will she stop? All of these factors might affect the way you choose to handle this particular risk.
Dramatic dangers鈥攍ike snake bites鈥攃an聽feel聽scarier than common dangers, even if they鈥檙e far less likely to occur. For instance, many more pets are killed by cars than snakes every year, and I鈥檓 guessing you have cars in your area, but it doesn鈥檛 sound like you consider the chance of car accidents when deciding whether your dog goes out or not (nor, in my opinion, should you). And of course, keeping your dog securely at home isn鈥檛 benign, either; dogs can get destructive or depressed when they鈥檙e bored, or even develop health problems that could have been mitigated by exercise.
Which is all to say that I think your dog should absolutely continue hiking鈥攂ut it鈥檚 not unreasonable to take precautions. Your best source for advice will be your veterinarian. She鈥檒l know how frequently (or infrequently) dogs are bitten by snakes in your area, and, if they are, the circumstances in which it鈥檚 most likely to occur (on particular trails? certain times of year?). She might even recommend that your dog get a rattlesnake vaccine, which could help her handle a snake bite if she were to get one. And she鈥檒l probably reassure you that most dogs can survive a rattlesnake bite with prompt treatment.
The subtext of your letter isn鈥檛 just about snake bites; it鈥檚 about your fear, your love for your dog, and maybe even a little discomfort with your husband鈥檚 judgment. He鈥檚 outdoorsy; the fact that you specified that makes me think you may not consider yourself the same. So in this case, some of your discomfort may come from him going out into a world that feels, to you, foreign and unpredictable鈥攁nd bringing the dog along with him. Of course that鈥檚 scary! It can be hard to imagine the calm, spectacular beauty of an evening trail if you haven鈥檛 enjoyed one, but the risk of being attacked by some wild creature鈥攚ell, that鈥檚 visceral indeed. It鈥檚 probably some part of our caveman brain. Ya gotta watch out for the unknown.
I鈥檇 recommend that you go hiking with your husband and dog, if you can. You don鈥檛 have to go far, or often. Even once would help, if you haven鈥檛 gone before. But ask him to take you for a short walk on his favorite trail. Notice the view, the fresh air. More than that, notice how happy your dog is: the way she leaps out of the car at the trailhead; the way she sniffs the path, the breeze. The hike will almost certainly be uneventful. And in the future, when you鈥檙e thinking of your husband and dog out in nature, you鈥檒l have a new mental image鈥攕omething far more pleasant than an imaginary snake attack. Close your eyes, and picture your happy dog, and your happy husband beside her鈥攋ust like you鈥檝e seen firsthand.