A dog is being treated for a bite from a venomous copperhead snake it got while on a trail at Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden Wednesday.
A dog is being treated for a snake bite it got while hiking at Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden. Firefighters and animal control workers were called to rescue the animal Wednesday for a leg injury they later found out was a bite from a copperhead.
Thursday, there were dozens of dogs making the trek up the tower trail at the park.
“He is quite the adventure dog,” said Colby Daniels. She was up visiting family and decided to make the hike with her four-legged partner, Trout.
“He is an adventure dog he does a lot of hiking; this is actually a pretty small hike for him,” said Daniels.
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Trout just finished a 10-mile hike in Shenandoah National Park, so the tower trial at Sleeping Giant, Daniels’ says, was a cake walk. Still, she always has Trout’s health in mind when hiking.
“We always start with checking the weather, make sure we are prepared for that, pack accordingly,” said Daniels.
Local fire and animal control officials are also offering reminders. They responded to the reports of the injured dog at Sleeping Giant and according to animal control in a Facebook post, “firefighters Mike Onofrio, J.P. Christini, Animal Control Officers Barbara Godejohn and Sarah Roberts, the dog owner and a Good Samaritan Brian Schacht carried an injured dog to safety”
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“Know the trail system well enough,” said Lt. Kevin Martin with the Hamden Fire Department.
He offered reminders for hikers after that incident including bringing plenty of water, not just for you, but for your hiking partner too. They also recommend making sure you are aware of your dog's hiking ability and planning accordingly.
“A lot of the climbing for them is unusual and some of the trails here go from a flat to a climb,” said Lt. Martin.
Animal control also recommends keeping dogs on a leash, and on trial, away from wildlife.
Daniels says even for short hikes Trout would be the first to advocate for the occasional break too.
“Watch your dog, see if they are getting tired, they might need more breaks than we do,” said Daniels.
Animal control was also taking the time Thursday to share the reminder to never leave your dog in a car, especially as we head into the hotter months.
