Puppy Gal Welcomes You To
Slim Jim Tucker, Black Rat Snake....
Slim Jim Tucker, Black Snake, who thought he was a dog and came when the
'Strays That Came To Stay' were called for dinner.... 
October, 2004
I let our pregnant English Bulldog out the back door to potty. After she took care of her business being afraid she might go under the porch, I walked out and dropped a lead over her head so she would know I was in control... I was for maybe a minute; until I almost stepped on the end of a snake's tail, laying out from the van parked just about 5 feet from the backdoor.
I rushed in to get Bob to come kill it and I should have known better. He grabbed my bamboo cane and I told him "NO" here's a hoe. We returned to find the snake and our cat asleep under the van not a foot apart, plus not five feet away, our three yard-dogs were scattered out taking their afternoon naps.
What did Bob do, looked at the snake and pronounced it a harmless Rat Snake and was trying to move him back to the woods when the snake slipped the hoe and slithered swiftly into my tiny garden patch.
Bob and I then had a "conversation" about said snake being harmless (he also once said a copperhead was harmless!!), to which I countered, do you call scaring me to death harmless!!!! I'm willing to take in another dog but not a stray snake ... sleeping in the yard with the other "strays that came to stay", just like it belonged here!!
A few days later, I either started being realistic (or I had fallen off the edge can’t settle on which) I decided if the cats and yard-dogs had truly accepted the snake, then it could be beneficial to have him as one of "our gang". The gopher or whatever it was is no longer eating my plants so it could be that Mr. Snake had it for a meal. Further rationalization dictates, I'll just have to get use to seeing him so I won't be startled ... surely I was not saying this!!!!
A week passed without a sign of the snake. One afternoon, I took a bowl of chicken & rice out for the yard-dogs and as I entered the house, I turned back to see if they were eating it, there it was slithering not 8 inches from the bowl, he came when I called the dogs!!!!
Boomer, a Beagle mix, had turned to follow me, but Slim's movement caught his attention so he started back ... not like he was on a hunt, but just to tell Slim the food was his. I told Boomer "no" and he made no further attempt to go back. My yard-dogs are hunting dogs, which kill snakes!! I couldn’t believe Fluffy, a 14 lb Spitz and Boomer are 18 inches from Slim, had sniffed the air therefore know he is there and aren't trying to kill him. I began to wonder if I lost my mind … this snake thought he was a dog.
For just about 2 months, all went well with “our gang” and the newest member who we had started calling Slim Jim Tucker. It was a nice fall day and I had the door open going in and out doing chores, then I happened upon him in the living room curled up asleep under a heat lamp set up to dry out some wood, so ended my patience with Slim Jim. It’s one thing for him to curl up with the yard-dogs and cats outside, but he wasn’t going to be allowed in the house. I got out the hoe. Bob heard the commotion and got there just in time to save him. He tells me he took him miles down the road and turned him out in a field.
Aftertought sometime in October: GREAT SCOTT!!! Do you think Slim Jim was someone's pet snake who outgrew his environment so they turned him loose out here in the country? We live on a dead-end road. He's 3-4 ft long and about half as big around as a coke can. At least that would explain why he came when I called, why he wasn't afraid of us and because he wasn't afraid "our gang" accepted him.
He never coiled up or hissed at us ... he thought he was a dog!!
You can't imagine how absolutely weird it was having a snake laying around in your back yard where all our visitors enter the house. I had to tell people not to be afarid of it ..... of course I never would have touched it, except with my hoe. lol lol
5/11/05 Update:
Slim Jim Tucker's offspring does not have his manners. He ever hissed at me but Blackie whom I just disturbed in the Goldfish pond was terribly rude!!!
Blackie's little boy, Black Jack, taking a dip in the fish pond. He's holding his head high to catch a glimpse of me...
Nasty looking thing!!! I was cleaning the small Goldfish pond, running my hand down in the water to pull out leaves, etc. I had just straightened up when I saw what I thought was our Bullfrog's head coming up out of the water about a foot from me, nope too long, turtle head, nope too long. Oh I don't have my glasses on but I think I detect movement out of the mouth, oh tongue flicking.... Bob here's your snake!!! I didn't know if it was a Cotton Mouth or not, cause they really like water, but Slim Jim Tucker liked to go for a lunchtime swim also. I ran got the camera while Bob watched him. Handing the camera to Bob the snake ducked back down in the water. That is when I got the water hose to make him surface again. Spraying into the water causing him to think something was after him. I got him up then kept at him until he got out of the pond. But I wasn't fast enough with the spray of water to prevent him from going under the porch. I asked Bob, "Did you get a good picture?" He responded, "No I was worried about you".... sure he was. I'm dogin' a snake and he didn't even snap a picture. lol lol
5/11/05
I had a visit from Slim Jim Tucker this morning so I'm about over the edge. I was watering the plants with the hose and up he comes, slithering. I guess he got himself a good drink of water from the hose I left laying on the ground. Heart racing, and legs just gettin' it, was out of there, never stop to turn off the hose. I need to find a person who wants a pet snake to come get this thing.
I didn't have the heart to chop his head off.. he just laid out there and let DH take all sorts of pictures, but when he heard the noise the camera made when turned off, he hid in the Lilies. I'm NOT pulling the weeds out of any flower beds any time soon.
I bet he is 4-5 feet long and around, he's 3/4 the size of a coke can. Tuesday Bob was in the small "big city" and asked that he get moth balls as I've heard it will keep snakes away and I know they will keep dogs out of the flower beds (only problems is you have to put down fresh ones after a rain). Would you believe he came back 'designer moth balls', Martha Stewart and paid way too much for them. lol lol I took them back today while I was out looking for flower pots and got 10 boxes of the cheap ones to spread around everywhere. I've only seen him coil up once and that was when Bob was trying to capture him with a rake and shovel. Today I just left him alone cause I knew I was going to get the moth balls. ISN'T THIS CRAZY!!! If I didn't need it before, I'm going to need professional help after this is over. lol lol
I don't like doors they are always getting in my way cause 9 times out of 10 I'm carrying a plant or something and I only have 2 hands. So when we build this house no screen or storm doors. Although we live in the woods our environment is pretty balanced and as a rule we don't have flying insects, therefore on nice days I leave one or more doors open.... easy access for Slim Jim Tucker, he just slithered in last fall.
I'm gonna do a Moth Ball raining down dance today!!! A couple of country folks told me to make sure he was out from under the porch when I put them down because they won't cross the moth balls.... I'll leave him a way out!!!
Judy is a PuppyGal and always has been -- bringing in strays, thrown away puppies and other creature for the last 50 years, we will have to assume she was five years old before she brought in her first one. When she was four years old she went missing and hours later they found her under her Grandparent's old country farmhouse. She had snuggled up next to their big white dog and fell asleep. She and their eight yard dogs roamed the 100 acre farm, everyone contend that the dogs would protect her. While other little girls played with dolls, PuppyGal and the dogs followed behind her Papa as he plowed the fields, feed the goats or milked the cows. Life changed, Papa passed away, she lived full time in the city, got a good education and became an executive for a National Corporation. One day she decided they were robbing her of her life so she told them "I'm Through Now" and returned to the country and her first love, dogs....smashed faced, snorting Bulldogs.
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