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| - What a terrific company!
I learned through Nextdoor about the snake aversion training coordinated by Jill Rials, and I highly recommend it and Jill. It is not inexpensive, but I considered it an important investment, and no payment is requested until the training is complete and successful. My 9 lb. dog is super friendly and curious, so would be likely to want to check out a snake, but would never survive a bite. Jill was a pleasure to work with -- very friendly, responsive, caring and flexible in scheduling. It is a multi-visit process to be sure the dog has learned the lesson. I wasn't sure my dog "got it" the first time, but boy, the 2nd time she was deathly afraid to go anywhere near the snake. I have never seen her that afraid of anything but thunder. The snake is in a clear box, which is well ventilated so the dog gets the scent, but there's no way the snake can escape. Jill uses a remote-activated "shock" collar to admonish the dog when it shows interest in the snake. The setting is safe, and I felt better after watching several YouTube videos of little dogs getting jolted like this. On Jill's advice, I did choose not to do this training for my other small dog, who is elderly with heart problems, but luckily she is also fearful of strange things. If you are hesitant to do this training because of your own personal fear of snakes, I recommend you talk to Jill and others at the company who are so knowledgeable and may help put things in perspective. The set-up is very safe, you barely have to see the snake if you don't want to, and I would just generally say you should try to suck it up for the safety of your pet :-)
I also heard company founder Bryan Hughes speak at a community event and would also recommend anyone living in the Valley take advantage if you have the opportunity. He is an excellent speaker with just the right amount of humor inserted to make nervous people a bit more at ease about snakes and to help you retain some of the very useful information.
We have yet to need their snake removal services, but I have their number handy for the day I do!
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