So it's officially the first day of Spring. And with the blossoming of flowers and the spreading of pollen also comes new animal life. Namely......rattlesnakes!

Each year we see more than our fair share here in Topanga, and this season isn't likely to disappoint as we have already seen at least four babies and Spring only just began today. One dry year revealed as few as three in our yard, while the following wetter year heralded thirteen slithering throughout our property.

A few days ago one of our neighbors sent us this video of a decent sized snake moving towards the grass under the olive trees at the top of our driveway. And perhaps, he was the very same snake who already bit Chai, our sweet Labrador Retriever, on the snout!

Yes, sadly Chai came to the door three days ago with a very swollen face, and because she was bitten by a rattler a few years back we knew exactly the cause of the swelling. $3K worth of anti-venom and a three night hospital stay later, she survived the first bite. But this time, on the advice of a vet who has treated many bites successfully, we opted to forgo the typical treatment and give her pain medication and antihistamines here at home.

And it worked!

She has now lived to tell the tale of surviving not one, but two rattlesnake bites in her 12 years here on Earth. And hopefully, there will not be a third.

Thank Heavens....and go Chai!