Burm or dog, bigger threat? V 1.0

[mpgt]

This is version 1 of the debate "Burm or dog, bigger threat?". This thread is not a place to come and insult, mock, degrade or put down members for their views. Engage the debate in the spirit in which it is meant to be debated.

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[nicolenadia]

There is no science here....just experience. I have a 100lb rottweiler. A full grown, female burm, scares me more. When I hear about dog attacks on humans, its rare that the person dies, unless it is a child. Usually people need stiches and surgery, but rarely, has a dog, squeezed the oxygen out of a human. If we are are talking about small child deaths, than #1, in my oppinion only, that people with small children should wait until their kids are gone from the house, to have such a large snake. I also feel that people know better to get a dog with an abusive past or bad temper, when they have small children.

Its such a complicated debate, but I really think that common sense should be used when obtaining both animals.

[jtmoney]

I picked a dog just because dogs are messed with more, treated terribly sometimes and if they snapped they know where the jugular vein is and all it takes is one strong bite to it and byebye. Also a dog just playing could knock over a young one and kill them on accident. Now if the burm was alowed to run free around the house and yard like a dog then it would be a different story but for now ... I vote dog

[razeraze]

A dangerous animal is a dangerous animal, neither is more dangerous, dead is dead. At least a burm won't chase you 20 blocks before mauling you. We all need to be responsible with any pet.

[majkill]

Right my reasoing for thinking Burm is more dangerous.

Dogs are a domesticated species, they are only a potential danger if trained to be so - it's unlikely you'll train your own pet to become a killer although some people do so...

Most dogs won't even defend themselves if abused by their owners for one reason - they have and show emotion! Im no animal behaviour expert but i think its reasonable and safe to say that there is less chance of a dog turning on its owner than a Burm.

Now i'm not saying that Burms are bent on killing their owners but its more likely that a snake cause death then a dog.

Also i think that a dog won't be able to kill a human alone, it may cause grevious bodily injury yes, but not sure if its possible to kill a person. All cases i found on the internet which resulted in death were by multiple dogs 2+.

It only takes one giant snake to kill you.

[nicolenadia]

I didn't mean to say "(rarely) has a dog squeezed the life out of a human". It should have said, "Never", becuase dogs can't squeeze....lol.

As tricky as this can be, people who get strangled by their snakes, or bit by a bad tempered dog, should know that this was a possibility to begin with. The animals are often blamed.

[razeraze]

Originally Posted by majkill

Right my reasoing for thinking Burm is more dangerous.
Dogs are a domesticated species, they are only a potential danger if trained to be so - it's unlikely you'll train your own pet to become a killer although some people do so...
Most dogs won't even defend themselves if abused by their owners for one reason - they have and show emotion! Im no animal behaviour expert but i think its reasonable and safe to say that there is less chance of a dog turning on its owner than a Burm.
Now i'm not saying that Burms are h***-bent on killing their owners but its more likely that a snake cause death then a dog.
Also i think that a dog won't be able to kill a human alone, it may cause grevious bodily injury yes, but not sure if its possible to kill a person. All cases i found on the internet which resulted in death were by multiple dogs 2+.
It only takes one giant snake to kill you.

Feral dogs attack, they were not trained to kill. Many dogs attack and even calm ones will lash out, especially when they get older. Yes, most deaths take 2 or more dogs but there are so many more dogs in the United states. It does not have to be your dog that attacks you. Also common with dogs if one attacks,others join in on the fun.
An animal is an animal and many will surprise you. Never get too complacent around any animal.

[majkill]

Originally Posted by razeraze

Feral dogs attack, they were not trained to kill. Many dogs attack and even calm ones will lash out, especially when they get older. Yes, most deaths take 2 or more dogs but there are so many more dogs in the United states. It does not have to be your dog that attacks you. Also common with dogs if one attacks,others join in on the fun.
An animal is an animal and many will surprise you. Never get too complacent around any animal.

Very true raze. Though i was makin my point around domesticated not feral. And yes calm dogs will lash out, the occasional bite or growl, but i highly doubt it will escalate to the death of a person. Also bear in mind that lots of feral dogs would have rabies and a symptom is that the go 'mad' and become terribly aggressive. You're also right on the point that there are many more dogs than large snakes in people's homes...

[Lucille]

Originally Posted by razeraze

Never get too complacent around any animal.

That's why I picked dogs. I think many people with snakes do realize that there is a potential for damage and use more caution most of the time; but people tend to lull themselves with fluffy tailwagging Fido. I have not done a statistics search but it would be interesting to see the ratio of bite cases, snake and dog.

[boaterr]

They are both powerful animals in there own right. I have heard of many people that have recieved deep puncture wounds from large burms (usually owners error) and there are countless events of dog owners being attacked by there pet, especially while the dog was eating (golden rule is be careful during feeding time when dealing with any large animal because when animals go into feeding mode instinct often overcomes human conditioning).

I would think an Anaconda or Retic would be more threatening than a burm due to the retics intelligence combined with their habit of killing things simply because the animal annoys it and the Anacondas strength and unique consticting method (in my opinion anacondas have the best constricting method out of all the giant snakes).

[spix14]

It's hard to go one way or the other, really. Obviously there are far more dog bites and dog maulings than snake deaths, but whether this is because dogs are "more dangerous" or because more people own dogs, is hard to say. Overall I would say a large snake is more dangerous. If you know enough about dogs to be able to read their body language and facial expressions then you can reduce your chance of a bite quite a bit. Of course some people will say that you can "read" a snake the same way, but I don't feel that they give off nearly as many warning signs as your average dog will. Snakes as a whole I feel are more unpredictable. I also believe you have way more of a chance of fighting off one dog attacking you by yourself than one large snake deciding to wrap you. Again though, I don't think it's cut and dry. it really depends on the handler or owner and the animal itself.

[angrybananapeel]

Since dog is generalized, and burm is more specific, I'll go with burm.

Depends on how you read the question, but in a one on one scenario your average full size burm is probably much more of a threat than your average full size dog.

[owen.richards]

there both dangerous...If you ask burm or dog there are alot of factors...a 20 foot burm is more likely to kill you then a chiwawa. but a Full grown rotty is more likely to kill you then a baby burm.

[mpgt]

Originally Posted by nicolenadia

There is no science here....just experience. I have a 100lb rottweiler. A full grown, female burm, scares me more....

That's pretty much what I was after.
Owen, I guess I should've worded the question better. At an adult size, which would be a bigger threat, a burm or a large dog? You might say it depends on the breed of dog. Usually people who keep large dogs don't consider them a threat.

[razeraze]

I am starting to dislike this post. I thought to be fair we should pick the two with the worst reps, retics and pit bulls. Then I realized this is exactly the post that people wanting to ban retics and pit bulls need to see.

I don't care what you keep, grizzly, lion, crocodile, large dog, wolf, large snake,horse, bull, cow, what ever. In responsible hands all can be safe even the mean or aggressive ones, in irresponsible hands all have killed and can kill.

I am going to end my debate here, I do not want to bring more negative reputation to either species. The focus should always remain on the keepers.

[boaterr]

The problem I have with this debate is we are comparing the threat that two animals can produce but what is lost is that the burms deadliest weapon (it's squeeze) is used much less than the dog's primary weapons (it's bite).

Large snakes in captivity rarely do a full strength squeeze (occasionally they do the hold on tight squeeze but rarely the death squeeze). What people rarely think about is when a burm or any big snake attacks and coils around an animal for better or worst the snake is defenseless to attack by other animals (which is probably why they try to hiss or bite first). I have been wrapped by a large burm (around the leg, she held tight but no death grip) and all it really took was starting at the tail and uncoiling but I only know a small handful of adults that have actually been wrapped in a burms death grip.

[Smits]

They're both can be dangerous if not given the respect they deserve. They're both can be harmless if given the respect they deserve.
.
That how I feel about it.

[mpgt]

Originally Posted by razeraze

I am starting to dislike this post. I thought to be fair we should pick the two with the worst reps, retics and pit bulls. Then I realized this is exactly the post that people wanting to ban retics and pit bulls need to see.
I don't care what you keep, grizzly, lion, crocodile, large dog, wolf, large snake,horse, bull, cow, what ever. In responsible hands all can be safe even the mean or aggressive ones, in irresponsible hands all have killed and can kill.
I am going to end my debate here, I do not want to bring more negative reputation to either species. The focus should always remain on the keepers.

I see your point Raze. I believe however, that those people have for the most part, already made up their minds. The point of this thread was to give our members a thread to discuss the issue. It comes up a lot these days, and provides an undertone of misunderstanding, and an uneasy basis for a lot of positions in various threads. I was hopeful that having a calm, moderated debate thread would keep several other threads from getting bogged by similar discussions.

[razeraze]

I understand MPGT, how ever unfortunately it is not just animal lovers who read this site.

[Lucille]

Originally Posted by mpgt

Icalm, moderated debate

What a blessing.

I have Pibble the pit bull and he is a wiggly squishy ball of love.
I go to pit bull websites sometimes and it seems like the breed can do no wrong. If someone, adult or child, gets mauled, it is somehow their fault.

It is not, always. The dog may have seen a threat when none was there, or a prey item instead of a child, but nonetheless sometimes there are dogs that just do not need to be in circulation. It is terrifying to me that some of these purported rescues get in an animal sometimes with a history of bites and then adopt it out to an unknowing family.

I'm actually tired of going to sites and seeing whatever animal they are speaking of portrayed to be a kindly as the Virgin Mary and 100% good.

I'm going to tell a secret but you can't tell anyone else. Even I, am not 100% good.

Those who earlier in the thread wrote to respect any animal, and what it can do, were right on.