This is part of our series: “Things they never tell you before you move to Arizona” -kr

How might a snake get into your house? Hint: check your dryer vent. Here’s the back story and the fix.
One hot summer day, I was out in my rose garden and watched a black racer crawl up my dryer vent and disappear. HUH? This dryer vent obviously is close to the ground as are most. The flapper, it seems, was stuck in the open position and there was no screen to deter a snake or a rat from entering.
Not wanting to stick my face up the dryer vent to explore where the black racer went, I waited for him to come out. Then I became distracted and forgot about him.
A couple of weeks later, I noticed a distinct odor emanating from the washer/dryer area. Thinking that there might be a dead black racer in my dryer, I called the appliance guy and told him the story.

In the meantime, another snake made his way into the same vent.