My last dog was a Sheltie...kick ass herder of children...and a buddy of mine going on walks. Smart.
I remember going down a path by the creek and he just stopped. Pointed a bit but also barked to get my attention. Sure enough, there was a big old Copperhead (snake-poisonous) sunning itself on the rocks. I thought "Thank you Lance"...not that I have anything against snakes in general...but this is a trail that the kids use so I suppose I should keep it clear of poisonous snakes. So I said "go on Lance" and he trotted up the trail...I grabbed a really solid stick and whacked the sanake ( thought I had killed it)...Lance came back barking. So I grabbed a really big rock and squished the snake's head and looked over at Lance and said: "are you satisfied now?"...and he seemed to be...so we went on for the rest of our walk.