I live in SE GA and have been seeing way too many snakes lately, one of my dogs got bit recently in the doggy run but it was just a corn snake, thankfully.

Garter snakes keep climbing up my tree in the dog run hanging out in the bird feeders. Obviously I've relocated the bird feeders!

I'm on 3 1/2 acres so no way I can keep them out of my yard altogether, but was wondering if anyone knows of something I can put on the outside of the doggy run (that will be safe for pets, birds, etc...) My 3 dogs have a doggy door and go in and out as they please - afraid something might happen while I'm not here. I've only SEEN one venemous snake, cottonmouth, but that was about 4 years ago. I pray there will be no more of those!

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

If you have corn snakes to keep the mice and chipmunks under control you are less likely to have venomous rodent eaters like rattlers. If you can encourage some king snakes, they EAT rattlers.

Do not allow anything in the run that would attract snake food (rats, mice, birds, bugs) ... dog food, dog poop, debris, etc is all attractive to snake prey, and that is attractive to snakes (as you saw with the garter snakes.

There is a plastic netting sold to keep birds from eating your fruit, like cherries, etc. Buy enough of this plastic netting to go around your dog run TWICE. Be sure the holes in the net are the smallest you can get. It needs to be cut a minimum of 16" tall. Wrap your run on the outside with the netting but bury at least 4" of it in the ground. Next, fasten another length around the INSIDE of the run. You'll have to fasten it to your posts securely. We used zip ties.

You need to make sure there are no tree branches that overhang the run. Snakes can and do climb trees and could easily drop into the run from above. The snake fence will also keep any snakes who have already taken up residence there inside the run so they will have to be manually removed.