Ranch Life

When a handful of goats ran loose toward a nearby canyon one April morning, Gaddis sent a border collie out to herd them. The dog returned with a potentially deadly rattlesnake bite. Gaddis had to act fast, making an emergency call to the country vet. “This time of year, we’re always wearing our snake boots and carrying a pistol,” she says. “You can chop off their heads with a garden hoe, but I prefer a pistol.”