My dog just stepped on this snake???

Thegreatwapiti

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Walking my dog through a grassy area in Douglas County. Dog spooks and snake starts shaking his tail at lightning speed?? No rattle. Maybe a baby? Don't think the dog got bit. Can anyone identify?
 

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Only snake I know of that shakes his tail like the devil like that is a gopher snake (bull snake). They want you to think they're rattlesnakes just long enough so they can escape.
Quite a few will do that. I've personally seen hognosed snakes and fox snakes do it, in addition to bull snakes. I'm sure there are many others.
 
Could be a juvenile yellow-bellied racer like the pictures below. Pattern similarly seems to fade as you go back, but some of the side pattern is visible in your picture, although it doesn't show the front 2/3rd so really its hard to tell. Not a rattlesnake though so no worries. As said, lots of snakes will mimic the tail rattle. Nice bit of trickery!
 

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Agree, with the many snakes shake their tail. Had some type of a black snake (maybe a black rat snake) do it to me. Walked into my barn, shut he man door behind me and instantly the metal interior wall at me feet started vibrating like crazy, I looked down and that sucker was a foot from me shaking his tail like crazy against the metal wall. It was not a small fella either, needless to say I wasn't expecting that at all 😳🤬
 
I had a bull snake do that to me Turkey hunting a few years ago. Scared the bajeezus out of me until I realized it was just his tail in dry leaves and not a rattle. They look pretty similar to rattlers at first look too
 
I had a whole mess of rat snakes in my 1850's basement one summer. Must have cleared out at least 30 of them. Probably half of them rattled their tails like a rattlesnake, but we've only got one type here and they are super rare.
 
since no one has yet....

dogbee.jpg
 
posted in colorado.

douglas county is the primary soccer mom county. probably not much over there besides bull snakes, garter snakes, and rattlers.
 
Thanks everyone. My dog is still alive and as dumb as ever! Yeah TOGIE, I figured posting it in a Colorado forum was pretty obvious. Not just soccer moms, we have cougars too!
 
When I was a kid a friends pet garden snake bit me and from that point on, I see a snake it's a snake and it dies. But, I won't go more than 5 or six miles out of my way to kill one. My Squirt dog got bit by a rattler several years ago and next morning I found him with a huge leg. Vet found the bite. Now my present Stormy got it in a fat pocket on his leg and took just over two years to finally heal over and grow back the skin and hair. I see a snake, I kill it!
 
Looks like a green racer. Last summer I killed a rattler in our parking barn that had no rattles. About a 3 footer. Wife saw it earlier and thought it was a bull snake which we leave alone or relocate.
 

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