Rattlesnakes (or other poisonous snakes) would definitely worry me, especially because of the pets! When I was very new to the Michigan Upper Peninsula, I looked out the window and saw one of the cats batting at something in a little patch of woods between the road and our semi-circular driveway. When I checked a little closer, I could hear a distinct "rattle" and immediately thought "rattlesnake!!" (Obviously I wasn't thinking very clearly at the moment -- we really do not have them here.) As it turned out, pine snakes are called "false rattlers" because they have similar markings and shake their tail like a rattler, and when they shake it in the dry leaves in the woods -- well, it sounds like a rattler! Whew!!
