Bleary-eyed and half asleep, Greg Smith walked into his kitchen, planning to make some much-needed coffee. But what he found in his kitchen sink shocked him awake.

A six-foot long boa constrictor lay draped over his stove and in his sink, its tongue flicking in and out. Smith yelled, and his two dogs came running, but the snake remained in its spot. He called the sheriff’s department, and Sergeant Steve Vierthaler responded to the scene.

Smith said he had no idea where his slithering visitor came from. The door to his house was closed, although the sliding door to his bedroom was open in the night. Vierthaler thought it was more likely that the snake was left behind by the previous tenants – and he ended up being correct.

When Smith moved into his current house on Bromley Lane three months ago, the tenants before him lost their snake while moving out, back in March. The family assumed it had gone out the door and eventually died. Neither the parents nor their 15-year-old daughter, who now live in Nevada, had told anyone of the missing reptile.

When news spread that an Orcas man had found a boa constrictor in his home, they heard about it, and knew it was theirs. They called Smith to retrieve her.

“Snakes can hibernate for long periods of time, so she’s been in the house for the last six months,” Smith said.

Vierthaler says it’s likely she was behind the refrigerator or washer and dryer where it’s warm.

After thinking about it overnight, Smith decided not to reunite the snake with her owners.

“They were irresponsible the first time, and I didn’t feel comfortable giving her back,” he said. “I spoke with the girl and her father, and they understood.”

Smith is giving the snake, which he has named Houdina, to an expert snake handler on the mainland, who wishes to remain anonymous.

“She’s going to a good home, where she will be a pet,” Smith said. “I am giving the family the new owner’s email, so they can check in and see how the snake is doing. Everyone is happy with how this is ending.”

Smith says Houdina was incredibly dehydrated after six months without food or water.

“She drank four bowls of water. Now her color is back. She’s a rich, beige brown now, and her camouflage lit up.”

Before sending Houdina off to her new home, Smith, who describes himself as an animal lover, has been keeping her in a large aquarium with a heater underneath. He also fed her two mice, which firefighter Maxx Jones’s daughter donated to him.

“This snake is a celebrity now,” he said. “Everywhere I go people say, ‘oh, you’ve got the snake!’ It’s such a small town. I’ve had random people call me, and say, “I think it’s cool you took care of that snake.’”

For Sergeant Vierthaler, it was a new experience as well.

“This is definitely the first time I’ve seen this on Orcas,” he said. “I’ve seen deer inside a house, but not a boa constrictor.”