For six years, a wily Basset Hound mix named Snakebite evaded capture. The adorable dog lived on the streets after being abandoned outside a motel room in Elko, Nevada, and Elko animal control officer Cindy Danielson had tried numerous things to lure the dog to her. Over the years, she often saw him near the Elko flagpole along Interstate 80.
She set traps, planted treats, and even brought out a tranquilizer gun.
“Snakebite was far too clever for any of this,” she told the Elko Daily Free Press.
Last winter, Snakebite, who never showed any signs of aggression, started hanging out with a friend — another dog animal control couldn’t catch — at the flagpole. The site is near a local school, and the dogs were friendly with the students.
“They befriended some of the football teams … and I know they get lots of hotdogs at the games.” Danielson said. “Some even call Snakebite their mascot.”
Surely, Danielson could bring the dog in now? She headed out to the flagpole.
“I attempted to get him to come to me with treats,” she said to the Elko Daily Free Press. “All he did was lift his nose to smell the treats and walk away. … I again attempted to set a dog trap. Snakebite wouldn’t go near it.”
And so it went, the two dogs hanging out near the school for months, but never far from the mind of Danielson, who sometimes left food for the dog by the flagpole.
Finally, the two dogs showed up on campus last month, and the school called animal control. Danielson showed up. She couldn’t believe what she saw.
“When I got there, I saw both of them being petted and I was like, ‘You have to be kidding me!’” Danielson said. “Both of them came right up to me and were licking my hand and wagging their tails. They both allowed me to put leashes on them.”
“One of the employees told me they were the sweetest dogs,” she said. “Finding them there, ready to be picked up, made me feel kind of foolish.”
It’s clear Snakebite was ready to be cared for, and Danielson was determined to find him a good home.
“Snakebite has had to fend for himself for too long, and he deserves a loving home,” she said. “Both dogs are awfully friendly for being on their own.”
Fortunately, that didn’t take long. The Daily Mail UK reports that Snakebite and his buddy were adopted together on Sept. 29.
Via the Elko Daily Free Press.
