Hello, we are fortunate to live next to dunes, beach and nature reserve so we have wildlife on our walks that we are still able to enjoy. We met 4 dogs and their owner in an open space they, played chase with my Gwenni and they had fun , they were all jingling away wearing bells. ( at a safe distance) the guy explained they were to help warn Adders of dogs as he had seen some basking in the dunes. Has anyone else tried this? I’ve also read that warm Adders are fast and tend to get away, it’s the cold adders that get cornered. Thank you for your ideas on the bells.
I also live in an adder rich area, and as a random aside, one of our dogs was bitten many years ago, and so was my husband With no lasting ill effects to either. However, as you say, adders are usually keen to avoid contact with dogs and people so we don't see that much of them. I and my friends spent our childhood playing on heathland and though we saw adders occasionally, none of us were ever bitten. The bells are an interesting idea, but as snakes have no external ear I'm not sure whether they'd be able to hear them. They would probably be more likely to detect the dogs approaching through the vibration in the ground.
Thank you for your reply. I’ve only ever actually seen one or two. Your information about not having an external ear sent me on a google search for their sensory skills and you are right that they would not hear the bells as the sound is transmitted by air. They hear though skin,muscle , bone route and so will hear our footsteps easier from the ground vibrations. They also have excellent sight and smell. So I guess you’d have to be very unlucky to be bitten like your poor husband and dog! Good to know both were not seriously harmed. Think we shall give the bells a miss!
