A Warning for Man's Best Friend

Unlike most people handed a shoebox by complete strangers, Laguna Beach's animal services control officer Joy Falk intuitively knows its contents without lifting the lid.

"Is it venomous?" asks Falk, the recipient in recent weeks of several snake-filled gift boxes from local residents.

Activity by slithery reptiles appears abnormally early this year, according to Falk, who since mid June has responded to numerous pleas for snake charming assistance from residents who live near the wildland interface. Last week, Falk and a partner together received eight snake calls in a single day, ranging from Irvine Cove to Arch Beach Heights and Laguna Canyon.

Gopher snakes, rattlesnakes, king snakes and red racers coil within the cages of Falk's truck.

She releases them in the canyon.

"They're part of the eco-system. 7/7/09 3:03 PM Page 1 They keep the vermin down to a dull roar," she said.

So far, no reports have surfaced of snake bitten people, whose movements generally scare off snakes, Falk said. "We sound like elephants to them. They'll posture only if they can't flee," she said.

Offleash dogs, however, prove more likely victims this time of year by following their instinctive urge to track a scent and thus encounter surprise fangs buried in their snouts, she said. Preexposure rattlesnake venom is available for dogs, she advised.

Not everyone calls Falk to rid their yard of snakes. One South Laguna resident with a rodent problem asked Falk to deliver one. She complied, letting loose a gopher snake whose tail had been injured. The resident told Falk for six years she spied the snake with the crooked tail in her yard even as the ground squirrel population abated.