We had nice dog-walking weather this morning, so we took Bubba to Stansberry Park that skirts the American River. It was new territory for him, although we've walked our other dogs there in the past. He enjoyed plodding along the path beside the river, but a woman walking her Boston bull terrier warned us that her dog had a close encounter with the rattlesnake the other day. We know there are snakes down at the river, but none of our dogs has ever encountered one. My mom's Scottish terrier, however, was bitten by one right in their own back yard, which backs up to the river. Fortunately, Laddie survived with no ill effects. The snake was a large one, and larger snakes typically don't inject as much venom as smaller ones, which don't have as much control over the amount they release with a bite. Rattlers are usually more plentiful in the spring when the runoff from the Sierras is high, but they are releasing a lot of water out of Folsom dam right now, so snakes are probably washing down from the foothills. Best to be cautious when walking the river trails.