He went to open the gate toward another pasture on the family’s South Texas ranch, and his dog Hilda, an Australian shepherd, wouldn’t let him take another step - soon, he learned why. Underneath a tumbleweed-like shrub known as Barba De Chivo, was a rattlesnake. “Hilda kept me there long enough that when I made my way to the gate, the rattlesnake was gone. She was protecting me,” recalled President of Valley Vet Supply, Omar Hinojosa. “She was always with me and was my second set of eyes, watching over me - we had some very protective mama cows. Our dogs are always there for us, and we owe it to them to shield them from any potential health risks.”