234250
234155
West Kelowna  

Rattlesnake bites dog

A West Kelowna pooch is on the mend after being bitten by a rattlesnake on a Rose Valley trail.

Ken Unger was hiking east of Rose Valley Reservoir on Jabba Rocky trail Friday morning with his wife and their 10-year-old boxer named Bella, when they came upon a rattlesnake in the middle of the trail.

“My dog got past it the first time, and we stopped, because it rattled in front of me,” Unger said.

“As my dog was coming by, she didn't know the snake was rattling away, she was just like, 'Hey what's going on?' And then bang! It hit her leg, and I had to carry a 70-pound boxer down the hill for a mile.”

Unger says this isn't the first time they've seen rattlesnakes in the area, near the top of the hill on the west side of the lake. On Mother's Day, the whole family was hiking on the same trail when Unger's four-year-old son almost stepped on a rattler.

“They heard a whole nest of them out there, which really freaked the whole family out. Luckily, no one got bit there,” Unger said.

After carrying Bella down the hill, they took her to Rose Valley Veterinary Hospital, where she's being treated.

“She'll be there for the whole weekend on IV and treatments,” Unger said. 



More West Kelowna News

233128