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K-9 FRIENDS

Protect Your Pooch!

The 9th Annual Rattlesnake Avoidance Clinic

When: June 8 – 9, 2024
Time: Saturday 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Where: Franktown Animal Clinic
7658 Burning Tree Drive
Franktown, CO 80116
303-688-4690

Cost: $125 per dog

Registration Opens at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, May 1!
Please note that tickets for the event can ONLY be purchased on the website starting on May 1. Tickets cannot be sold over the phone or email.

All proceeds benefit the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit and Wellness Program.

Rattlesnakes bite thousands of dogs each year in the U.S. Many suffer immense pain and trauma from the venom; some even die. Treating dogs bitten by rattlesnakes can cost $3,000 or more, and some pets require even more care, or don’t recover despite all efforts.

Avoid all of that by enrolling your dog in our annual Rattlesnake Avoidance Clinic and provide a meaningful donation in the process!

Our training clinics are conducted in a safe, humane and controlled environment ensuring the safety of your dog, people and the rattlesnakes. We have found the best way to teach a dog to avoid rattlesnakes is to use live rattlesnake specimens that have been temporarily neutralized with a muzzle so that they cannot bite.

  1. The snakes are placed out in a field setting.
  2. The dogs are fitted with an electronic training collar.
  3. The dog is led through the field (by the trainer) and allowed to encounter the rattlesnakes.
  4. The dog is stimulated using the electronic collar.
  5. The training process is repeated several times to assure that your dog will understand the sight, smell and sound of a rattlesnake. (Rattlesnakes have a distinctive odor that dogs can discern from other snakes.)

What You And Your Furry Buddy Will Receive

  • One-on-one instruction by nationally recognized rattlesnake avoidance expert Fred Presson of High On Kennels
  • A safe and controlled training environment for you, your dog and your family
  • Training conducted with live rattlesnakes that are neutralized and harmless
  • The best training method: dogs are taught to recognize the sight, sound and scent of rattlesnakes and avoid them when encountered
  • See more Frequently Asked Questions about the Rattlesnake Avoidance Clinic

K-9 Rattlesnake Avoidance Clinic

Appointments will be made hourly. Dogs are taken through the training course in the order they have checked in, but please plan on being present for an hour.

  1. There is one Rattlesnake Awareness Clinic (RAC) held each year. It is generally held the weekend before Father's Day weekend.
  2. Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
  3. The event sells out each year. Tickets are not available for walk-ins.
  4. There is no Waiting List. If a spot becomes available, it will be open for purchase on the registration link.
  5. All sales are final and non-refundable.
  6. The RAC is a non-profit fundraiser to benefit the DCSO K-9 Unit and to ensure all the DCSO K-9s complete the rattlesnake training.
  7. Ticket purchases – the amount of the ticket price that is tax deductible is limited to the excess of any money over the value of the goods or services provided. Donations are fully tax-deductible.
  8. The event is staffed by volunteers.
  9. When you purchase a ticket for the RAC, a receipt will automatically be emailed to you. Your registration day and time are listed at the top of the receipt. Please keep a copy of this receipt. Check your Spam folder if you do not see the receipt in your Inbox.
  10. When you attend the event:
    • There is nothing you need to bring, but we do ask that you keep your dogs leashed.
    • When you arrive at the clinic, check-in at the registration desk. Because you have already purchased a ticket, your name will be on the registration list.
    • Dogs are taken one at a time through the course. After you sign in, you an your dog will be called up to participate in the training. There are eight dogs scheduled for each hour, and they are called in the order of check-in.
  11. For additional information or questions, contact info@K9Friends.org.