### Serious Safety Concern: Snake Awareness Needs to Be Much BetterOverall, the property and resort were not bad, and as vacation rental owners ourselves, we understand the challenges of maintaining busy beach properties.However, there is a serious safety concern guests should be made much more aware of: venomous snakes.During our stay, our dog was bitten by a young cottonmouth right next to the walkway leading to our unit, essentially underneath the house. Luckily, we saw it happen, reacted immediately, and a local veterinarian had antivenom available. Our dog recovered, but the outcome could easily have been much worse.There are children and pets throughout the resort, and the sand, brush, vegetation, and protected dune areas provide ideal hiding places for snakes. After the incident, local residents and the veterinarian told us that cottonmouths and rattlesnakes are common in the area and that snakebite cases involving pets occur regularly.Snakes are part of the natural coastal environment, but guests should receive a clear and prominent warning so they know to watch children and pets closely around walkways, vegetation, dunes, and underneath raised buildings.We were extremely fortunate. Better warnings could prevent a much more serious incident.