This woman picked up a rattlesnake thinking it was her dog’s toy, so goodbye, outdoors

You know what you probably never want to do? Pick up a live rattlesnake WITH YOUR BARE HANDS, that’s what.

But that’s what one California woman did after mistaking the rattler for one of her dog’s toys last Wednesday.

Carla Portocarerro Rosso spent the evening relaxing in her hot tub before deciding to turn in for the night.

While walking back toward the house, she spotted what looked like her dog’s toy rope.

“I picked it up and it felt squishy, that’s when I realized it wasn’t the rope, Rosso told KRON4.

According to Rosso, she immediately dropped the snake, screamed, and ran back to the hot tub, where her husband, Ariel, was still relaxing. Luckily for Rosso, the rattlesnake didn’t bite her while it was in her hand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwbMRCinw_o?feature=oembed

The couple called the local fire department, who “took care of it,” Rosso told KRON4. Everyone, including the couple’s pup, Duchess, was unhurt during the incident.

As we all head outdoors for the summer, let’s all remember proper snake safety protocols! Stay on trails and keep your eyes peeled so you can steer clear of snakes, who would rather not deal with you either.

Or, if you’d rather stay inside forever after watching that video, we can hardly blame you.