“I need a clear angle. Can you move his rear half without lifting his chest?”
I slid one hand beneath Titan’s harness and shifted his hips six inches.
The snake reacted instantly.
Its head snapped forward.
Titan lunged with a bark so violent it shook the child beneath him.
The snake recoiled.
The officer moved.
Hook under the body. Lift. Turn.
The rattlesnake whipped in the air, striking at empty space as she guided it into the tub. The lid slammed shut.
Only then did Titan look at me.
His eyes were wide.
Waiting.
“Titan. Off.”
He stepped away immediately.
The little girl sat up screaming for her mother.
Her mother crossed the distance on her knees and pulled her close.
I grabbed Titan’s collar and checked him from nose to paws.
No punctures.
No blood.
My hands started shaking so badly I could barely feel his fur.
“Good boy,” I said again.
He licked my wrist.
Then the man with the branch spoke behind me.
“I almost killed him.”
I turned.
His face had gone gray.
The branch lay on the ground.
“I thought he was mauling her.”
“So did I for about five seconds.”
That admission mattered.
