Man who fed puppy to 8' boa is sentenced to jail

[chabraham]

People feed their snakes rats and rabbits. Most are already dead, but some chose, or the snake only accepts live prey.
I am an owner of a few snakes and lizards, and feed them rats and mice. I don't think this guy really deserves 9 months in jail. Whats the difference between feeding a rabbit and a dog? You tube is littered with videos wit pythons and boas eating live rabbits.
Don't get me wrong, i think this guys a sicko, but what makes it right to feed a rabbit/rat/mice to a snake and not right to feed a puppy? I am just trying to distinguish between a rabbit and a puppy. Intelligence?
I am not defending this guy in anyway, and if he was sitting next to me, i'd probably punch him between the eyes.

[toker]

Its not so much if it should or should not be done, but rather the image it puts on the hobby as a whole.

Is there a difference between a rabbit and a dog? Not really, but as long as the general public views it as different there will be issues from this situation.

[stalk]

I really can't see what he did wrong. Do you eat meat? You are responsible for the deaths of millions of cows, chicken, and whatever else as the people killing them are.

You feed snakes rats? You are responsible for their deaths. It's not "they were already dead anyway," but, "they are dead because you have a demand for it."

Same goes for rabbits, cats, dogs, any other animal out there. I love dogs, having 2 siberian huskies, and had many cats in my life. I love them all. But I understand this is a world of survival of the fittest, and that there's a food chain.

Dogs get special treatment because they are often companion dogs. But feral dogs are terrifying. I've been attacked by a feral dog for walking past a prey it killed. It either thought I was more food, or that I was trying to take it's food.

The only difference I make between what's food and what's not is whether it's someone's pet or not. If it's a dog that was someone's pet, that is indeed cruel. That animal belongs to the person!

But if it's animals that are not pets, well, they are really fair game. Puppies and Kittens might be cute to many, but so are rats, rabbits, birds, and many other animals.

The fact the dog was boiled in oil, dumb as that may have been, suggests to me it was killed before it was placed in there. That's the same as the cow you eat, the chicken you eat, the duck you eat.

All these are animals with instinct, feelings, and the like. Even if you think they don't have much emotion, when it comes to dying, they ALL have one emotion - the will to survive. That is a basic instinct in reptiles even if you don't believe in reptiles having feelings. That fear that hits them when they are about to die, how hard they fight to survive, the feeling of pain and agony when they die are all the same, dog, human, rat, bird.

So, I don't feel this guy deserved jail unless he killed someone's pet.

I personally couldn't kill a dog. Actually, I can't kill anything. I have no doubt if there was a situation where I had to do so, I would. But, it is a double standard I acknowledge within myself and that I accept I cannot judge others for having the ability to kill animals. So, I do buy my steaks from safeway, and my rats prekilled and frozen.

The ability to kill a dog is not a precursor to ability to harm humans. The ability to torture an animal for fun, yes. But a quick merciless kill? Ever swatted a fly? Stepped on an ant? Sprayed raid for spiders? You are just as bad as this guy.

I am.

[Red-Tailed_mustang]

We didn't create rats we did domesticate cows sheep and other animals FOR FOOD but we domesticated DOGS FOR COMPANIONS! If humans weren't at the top of the food chain would it be ok to feed on to something that was higher than us on the food chain??? Where did you get he boiled the dog? It doesn't say that it said he coated the puppy with cooking oil.

[VoodooChile]

Originally Posted by DaveA

I know some people that hate cats, and would think it to be a great idea to feed one to a snake. Should the man be put to death for feeding a cat to a snake?

I believe I have jokingly made the comment "I have a great cat for your burm!" a few times, but I would NEVER feed or allow someone I knew to feed a cat or a dog to a snake. I've also joked around about the neighborhood kids, and well, that's still up in the air..

I think at one point we did have a discussion because a member posted about someone with free kittens refusing to adopt one to them because the inquiring person had a snake. I guess the person with the free kittens thought the snake owner would feed the kitten to the snake.

I have seen an ad before and I forget where it was, where someone was warning about large snake owners searching adoption classifieds for kittens/puppies for their snakes.

I don't doubt it happens, but it, like many other practices, really doesn't make the rest of us look good.

No wonder our hobby is in danger.

[Sleepy_FF]

Originally Posted by Red-Tailed_mustang

We didn't create rats we did domesticate cows sheep and other animals FOR FOOD but we domesticated DOGS FOR COMPANIONS! If humans weren't at the top of the food chain would it be ok to feed on to something that was higher than us on the food chain??? Where did you get he boiled the dog? It doesn't say that it said he coated the puppy with cooking oil.

For starters, there are places in the world that DO raise dogs, specifically for the purpose of eating them. Heck, my FATHER has even eaten dog (apparently dog meat tastes much like cow, except a bit tougher). Would I try dog one day? Sure. Why not. I would ALSO try gator, iguana, snake (again) and turtle.

I don’t believe the guy should have gone to jail for feeding the puppy to the snake - however, I do believe he should go to jail for feeding the puppy to the snake, in front of the kids. That could quite possibly traumatize them.

And for all of you people out there crying in outrage that he fed a puppy to his snake, grow up. You are nothing more than a bunch of hypocrites. I am willing to wager money that you are all the same people that get offended when someone who loves rats, mice, rabbits, pigs, etc gets angry and upset - because how could you feed a poor little rat to such an ungodly animal? Your reply? “its what they eat”. and now you are doing the SAME THING that rat lovers are doing “oh my god, how could you be so cruel as to fed that poor innocent puppy to that mean horrible snake”…

Sorry to break it to you, but if it is alive, people will eat it. Animals will eat it. Even some bugs and birds will eat it. You can’t just sit there and pick and choose which animals are cute enough to live, sorry, that just doesn’t work. A puppy (in general, not a specific one) might mean the world to you, but don’t you think that that cute little fluffy rabbit or rat (in general) you just fed to your snake might mean a lot to someone else? There are people out there that run businesses breeding rats for specific traits… I’ve seen rat pups literally go for 150$. Oh my goodness… people do the same bloody thing with dogs. However, you all want to sit there and cry foul because its an animal YOU have deemed cute and loveable… and then you call the people who cry the same thing about you feeding rats stupid and ignorant.

Would I feed a puppy or a kitten to my snakes? No. personally, I think rabbits and rats would be more nutritious. Would I be mad if someone killed my dog and fed it to a burm? Yeah, but then again, that’s my pet. I would be just as mad had someone killed one of my PET rats and fed them to a snake. Am I going to strangle someone for feeding a free kitten to a snake? No. its not a pet.

[deadliestformula]

Denis Leary did a bit on his No Cure For Cancer album that said something along the lines of 'We only want to save the cute furry little animals'

Rather true actually...........