The Boulder Police Department (BPD) warned residents to be aware of rattlesnakes last week after a dog was bitten at Foothills Community Park.

“We don’t want to alarm the community, but we do want to remind folks that there are rattlesnakes in our city and people need to be observant,” the police department wrote in a Facebook post last Wednesday.

The BPD said that a dog was bitten at Foothills Community Park the previous week and that it will be okay, but they still wanted to spread awareness. The police department said that people should be cautious of rattlesnakes, especially in that area. Although the snakes usually keep to themselves, they do sometimes bite when surprised or when a creature gets too close.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), rattlesnakes usually use camouflage as their first line of defense. CPW also says that they’ll typically ignore you thinking that you can’t see them. However, if the snake coils up and rattles it means you’re too close and should move away slowly. Stepping back a few feet can convince the snake you’re not a threat, and most snakes won’t strike at people unless they feel threatened or are provoked.

Learn more about rattlesnakes here.

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