[Rick Lee]

Jeff, the first story sounds about right. But you would have been totally unjustified in killing the guy's snake. I've been bitten by dogs, cats, rats, snakes, stung by a scorpion, bees, wasps, you name it. The snake bites were by far the least painful of any of them. Common household pets can be far more dangerous than a snake, assuming the owner is responsible. Considering the many thousands of dollars people usually spend on their dogs or cats in their lifetime, keeping snake is far cheaper and lower maintenance. My Boa never once had to go to the vet. I fed it every 4-6 wks. and watching it eat was always great entertainment. If I went on vacation for a few weeks, I just made sure the water dish was full before leaving and that was it. Just handling and watching it is also fascinating. They're only exotic pets because so many people know nothing about them and thus few people have them as pets. I've never seen a pet snake just randomly strike at someone who wasn't holding it or holding another food source. They don't just jump off of someone's shoulders to attack a small child. However, I have seen dogs do this and have rarely thought about shooting one.