Thanks gbin, I'm glad to see someone post of the "other" side of snakes. I'll disagree with you on some points.
1. A (non-venomous) banded water snake is highly inquisitive in my experience. I was fishing last week and had two juvenile water snakes passing within a foot in front of my feet (in the water). I tried to run them off by touching them (not smacking) with my rod tip. They'd move off, but come right back. I did have a fish in a floating basket which seemed really interesting to them as well
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2. Venomous snakes are often ambush predators (like bass). Just as you pull your lure over a log hoping a bass is there to ambush it (before even looking to see what it is), step over a log with a copperhead lying in wait and you're going to get smacked. It's a "reaction bite". I wouldn't consider that to be a defensive bite, but a reaction bite.
I do agree that snakes won't chase you down to bite you, but they will "stand their ground". Venomous snakes (in the south US) are pit vipers, and are short and fat (compared to the non-venomous snakes). They can't run away as fast so they don't look to escape as much as the non-venomous ones do. They'd rather you alter your course. They will opt for flight if they can, but they know they can't outrun as well as the thinner, more agile snakes can.
3. Dogs can survive venomous snake bites. They'll swell up and hurt, but they survive. The animal hospital gave our dog benadryl and antibiotics. We weren't as stupid the second time the dog got bit. We thought they'd have anti-venom.... Nope, $200 for bendryl and antibiotics (to protect against infection at the wound site). Turns out, after the second bite, the dog got smarter
. Both bites were on the paw. Don't paw at a snake.
But the whole "the only good snake is a dead snake" mentality is just ignorance.