How is this different!!! **Rant**

[ilovetegocalderon]

Spring wrote:

Also, just to say, if you let a huge snake out in the wild, it will die. Either from temperature conditions or starvation. They will be used to being hand fed their prey and probably won't have the natural instincts. They also would probably be destroyed or removed from the wild by animal control because they can be a danger.

That's why they shouldn't be pets in the first place.

 

[Spring]

There was a story a few years ago with a stupid lady with a huge snake and small children, and the ministry of child welfare or something threatend to take the snake away because it was dangers. The lady wouldn't give her kids or the snake up. I can't find the newspaper article though, it was a few years ago..

 

[ilovetegocalderon]

did they end up taking her kids or the snake away from her?

 

[pinksalamander]

I'd personally never keep a snake as a pet, but some findthem interesting and i can't deny that someone would like them as a pet.

Rabbits are really wild animals anyway. So you can't use the fact that "snakes are wild" as an excuse to not keep them as pets.

 

[ilovetegocalderon]

There's a difference between wild rabbits and the ones that have been bred to be domesticated. Also, rabbits live happy lives with people owning them as pets (well, responsible pet owners). They love human attention. As far as I know, snakes do not. And snakes eat live animals. It is cruel to stick a perfectly healthy animal into a cage with a snake and make it suffer from fright until the snakes decides to eat it. Snakes don't love their owners like cats, dogs, rabbits, etc. I think they would prefer to be out in the wild. I know some people who would love to make a tiger their pet. But it's illegal. So should owning a snake. Just cuz people want to own one doesnt make it right.

 

[Spring]

When they came to get the snake, she locked the door and had a machete. They agreed that she had to have the weapon in the room if the snake and the kids were together. I'm still looking for the story, we did a thing with it in Socials last year.

I guess that's a good point, but many of these exotics like the crocodiles (yes, I've seen people own them), huge snakes, turtles (although I think it's illegal to have a turtle now because salmonella poisoning), ect. are usually sold illegally. Rabbits also have been domesticated for thousands of years.

 

[pinksalamander]

Yeah i know, i don't like snakes anyway. But i can still understand why animals are fed to them.

Anyway, Spring if you do find that article send it to me, i love reading things like that.

 

[AnnaS]

100% agree. They made a law where people can't keep pitbulls in Toronto because they find some of them dangerous. I can't imagine keeping a snake being not dangerous. What if it escapes and eats somebody's dog?

ilovetegocalderon wrote:

There's a difference between wild rabbits and the ones that have been bred to be domesticated. Also, rabbits live happy lives with people owning them as pets (well, responsible pet owners). They love human attention. As far as I know, snakes do not. And snakes eat live animals. It is cruel to stick a perfectly healthy animal into a cage with a snake and make it suffer from fright until the snakes decides to eat it. Snakes don't love their owners like cats, dogs, rabbits, etc. I think they would prefer to be out in the wild. I know some people who would love to make a tiger their pet. But it's illegal. So should owning a snake. Just cuz people want to own one doesnt make it right.

 

[AnnaS]

Also on the topic, I don't agree that pets are treated worse than people. Its just seems like that. But if you look around the world, people are treated a lot worse.

 

[BekasBunnies]

MyBoyHarper wrote:
"I do agree about the bugs and fish. It just upsets me that it's okay to torture and kill a rabbit or dog or cat, and only serve a year or so, but it's different for a human murder. I think the penalties should be about the same, ya know."

MBH, I only wish people who took human lives served that much time. Ask the victims of drunkdrivers how much time is served. The girl who killed my brother served 6 months in a rehab program.

~BARB~

 

[Cait]

Hmm... This is avery interesting conversation we have here.

In regards to the original post... I agree, animals deserve respect and dignity in their lives. Whether that means being humanely euthanised when they are suffering too greatly or given a great life before they are made into hambugers, they deserve it. Humans also deserve this, and they, like the animals, rarely get it.

As for the snake thing... I have mice and rats, I know what it feels like to dislike snakes and their owners. They swear up and down rats, mice, rabbits, other "feeder" animals do not show emotions. We, as owners of these animals we consider pets, know different. How can we, knowing what we do about our animals, say that a reptile is incapable of affection? Reptile owners say they too show affection, maybe not in cuddles or kisses, but a sort of reptile form of affection. Also, most snakes WOULD die if "released" into the woods somewhere.Most are human relient at this point. Most wouldn't have a clue what to do if set loose. I cant see a domestic pet snake (as domestic as snakes can get) being any different from a domestic pet rabbit besides the qualities that they offer to their owners. I think we're running into the "OMG you feed cute mice/rats/bunnies to your ugly snake!" frame of mind. YES they are cute, but what are they supposed to eat? Nothing? You would let an animal die because you deem it not as fit as your pet of choice? How is that any different from treating humans and animals the same? Its not. Apet is an pet, whether it be cat, dog, rabbit, or snake. They should have the same value as pets, and thats all there is to that. As for them being dangerous...Raised in captivity and born there, they should be just as docile as your bunny, even more so as they dont kick you or give you love bites.Unless they are a huge ret. python, I doubt they are going to eat a dog, or atleast a large one. Certainly not a person. If we use that school of thought, why do we even have dogs? A large one could turn any minute and eat your bunny. Or your cat. Or your baby. It CAN happen, doesnt mean it is likely or will.With proper supervision and handling, snakes are pretty safe for humans. I'm just saying. And I dont even like snakes, LOL!


Edit: Just noticed the statement about pits... Not going there tonight. *sigh*

 

[m.e.]

Cait, thank you for sharing. Your POV was thought out and articulate

 

[Spring]

Good points. The SPCA here is trying to put a ban on exotic reptiles because they're being sold illegaly to people who can't care for them. Some are even getting loose and abandoned from people who move or can'tcare for them.

 

[pinksalamander]

Cait, you completley said i what i was trying to say.. but alot better.

 

[Cait]

Anytime. It surprised me a bit because usually I dislike snakes very much, but I realize there are always more sides to the story thanmy own.

 

[Emma.L]

I f a human stabbed another human they would be sent to prison even if the person lived after being stabbed, well i was reading these old newspapers yesterday and a german shepherd dog was stabbed in the head by the owners next door neighbour for barking to loudly. I was upset, but I read on and the dog survived! Plus the guy who stabbed the dog got 10 yrs in prison! So in this case animals and humans were sort of treated the same.

 

[ilovetegocalderon]

That's a good point Emma. I think too what people should realize is that ppl who abuse/kill animals will often escalate to abusing/killing humans. A lot of serial killers start off torturing animals...

 

[Jess_sully]

I know this is an old thread, but it was posted while I was on vacation, so I thought I'd share my peice:

As for euthanasia, I agree with it if the animal is in extreme pain and there is nothing you can do for them, for example if they have terminal cancer, or if they are so badly injured that it's only going to be a day or two before they'd die naturally. HOWEVER, I do not agree with euthanizing an animal if it has a good quality of life and someone can't afford a procedure! My father is a veterinarian, and so many people just say, "Well... we'll just get another dog." What does that say about the owner? My father has even taken in many pets that simply needed surgery to fix a minor problem and done it for free or a ridiculously discounted price, simply because he hates to see those poor, friendly animals go that way. I understand that you might not have the money, but almost all vets have payment options, and there is animal insurance, too. It's not like you'd euthanize your grandmother simply because you couldn't pay forher operation. In my eyes, animals should be viewed pretty much equal to family members. You shouldn't buy an animal if you know that you won't be able to pay for vet expenses in the future.

I also think that humans should be able to be euthanized, if it is the patient's wish. I feel pretty bad for that doctor who was putting humans to sleep at their own wishes but is now going to prison for the rest of his life. He didn't MURDER anyone... he just granted them the thing they wanted the most. I know if I was in extremely bad pain due to some terminal disease, I wouldn't want to fester for a few months or even years! If I knew I was going to die, I would NOT want to be in pain for that ammount of time. I mean, they have pain meds, but then the person is usually not "really there" because of the drug dosage. I understand that it's hard for the family members to accept that their loved one wanted to be put out of their misery, but I don't think that qualifies as murder.