[Mule]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I don't understand "exotic" pets or the people who would own them. To me, a pet has to be friendly and responsive to me. And present no real danger to me or anyone else.

I have had exactly two experiences with these oddball "exotic" pets. First was a tarantula that was, um, "presented" to me at an acquaintance's appartment years ago. He thought it would be funny to give me a little scare by turning it loose and not telling me he had one. Well, it worked. I saw it coming accross the back of his couch that I was sitting on and absolutely freaked. He started laughing like hell. He stopped when I swatted it off the couch with my forearm and crushed it under the heel of my motorcycle boot. Har har har; joke's on you, ass hole.

Next was about a ten foot constrictor of some kind on a local beach. My wife and I had our then infant son Chris, and our dog Rocky the lab with us. Some guy shows up with a snake in a basket and pulls it out right in front of us. Plenty of open beach where he could have done that, but no, he had to show it off. I told him very politely, very frankly, and very calmly that if it got too close to us I would kill it. He kind of laughed and asked how close was "too close", then tried to assure me it was entirely "safe". He wasn't going to move. Plenty of open beach around us, and he was not going to move. So I retrieved my revolver from the picnic basket to kill it.

Well, he started screaming like hell, trying to gather up his "pet" back into his basket before I killed it. He started calling me all kinds of mean things; he was pretty upset. By now we had a dozen people gathered around, many of them parents with small children playing on the beach. He was snivelling about how he was going to go call the cops. Pretty much everyone chimed in and said "go ahead", then thanked me for running the guy off.

Hey, I don't mind if people keep these things. Just don't surprise me with them or turn them loose around me. Maybe I'm just an insensitive hick or something, but I do think I understand where various critters fit into the scheme of things. Some of these "pets" are anything but. If I see one loose around me I'll simply kill it and move on. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Great work Jeff. I knew someone whose "pet snake" bit a girl on the face. I would not hesitate to kill any snake I found threatening.