anatess
Well-known member
- Jul 26, 2011
- 1,758
- 398
- Country
- US
- Bulldog(s) Names
- Bullie (RIP) & Angus (RIP)
This post is sad.
I do understand how most of us gain an irrational fear/hate for spiders and snakes. We grew up being brainwashed that they are evil creatures - from the serpent in the Garden of Eden to the suspense/horror flicks. Even Harry Potter have evil snakes and spiders. Storytellers choose these guys as villains because people are conditioned to fear them, so it is an easy stage setup.
But, with my 2 children who grew up in a house of pet snakes, I see clearly that it is not an instinctive fear/hate. They were not born with it. And all - and I mean ALL - their friends who come to the house don't have that instinctive fear/hate either. They like coming to my house because of the snakes. But, I have made it a house rule that snakes don't come out of the enclosures when we have friends over unless we have permission from their parents. I've gotten in trouble with this once with a parent that thought I put her kid in mortal danger, so we set that rule.
But let me just tell you about snakes and spiders. First of all, they don't seek out people to kill. Second of all, there are a lot more people who died from dog attacks than there are of snake attacks and even less for spider attacks. Okay here's a list that may not be too accurate but it's the only one I can find with a google search: Deaths by Animals.
Personally: We have 3 dogs - Angus has accidentally bit someone in my family 3 times, Bully once, none by Gizmo. We have 6 snakes - We have only had one accidental snake bite (my son was playing with the snake on the bed and he jumped on the bed causing the snake to fly in the air, the snake was so scared he bit off the first moving thing that came near his head which happened to be my son's finger as he tried to pick the snake up to provide a safe zone. My kids play more often with the snakes than with the dogs (dogs are usually stuck to my side).
3 years ago, my kids came home crying. My neighbor whacked the red banded water snake that was living under a bush in our backyard. The snake likes to go on the cement pipe that feeds drainage water into the community pond. He would sit there sometimes digesting his fish. The snake is, of course, non-venomous. The kids and the dogs play in the backyard a lot. But that snake only shows himself sometimes, usually when we trim the bush. My kids gave him a name, Red, and they tend to check the bush to see if he's home. We've had him for 2 years... The neighbor kid passes by that drainage pipe to go to my house almost every weekend. One day, he saw the other neighbor with a shovel chopping Red's head off. He ran to my house screaming calling my kids... they all rush to save the snake... but too late. Red is dead. And my kids, who has been with Red since they were 5 and 7 years old, lamented the cruelty of humans.
Tough lesson. But yes. Such is the life of a snake. And I would bet you that if Red was given a choice, he'd rather be a vilified Pit Bull than a snake... at least there are tons of dog lovers who love Pit Bulls and rescues trying to save them...
I do understand how most of us gain an irrational fear/hate for spiders and snakes. We grew up being brainwashed that they are evil creatures - from the serpent in the Garden of Eden to the suspense/horror flicks. Even Harry Potter have evil snakes and spiders. Storytellers choose these guys as villains because people are conditioned to fear them, so it is an easy stage setup.
But, with my 2 children who grew up in a house of pet snakes, I see clearly that it is not an instinctive fear/hate. They were not born with it. And all - and I mean ALL - their friends who come to the house don't have that instinctive fear/hate either. They like coming to my house because of the snakes. But, I have made it a house rule that snakes don't come out of the enclosures when we have friends over unless we have permission from their parents. I've gotten in trouble with this once with a parent that thought I put her kid in mortal danger, so we set that rule.
But let me just tell you about snakes and spiders. First of all, they don't seek out people to kill. Second of all, there are a lot more people who died from dog attacks than there are of snake attacks and even less for spider attacks. Okay here's a list that may not be too accurate but it's the only one I can find with a google search: Deaths by Animals.
Personally: We have 3 dogs - Angus has accidentally bit someone in my family 3 times, Bully once, none by Gizmo. We have 6 snakes - We have only had one accidental snake bite (my son was playing with the snake on the bed and he jumped on the bed causing the snake to fly in the air, the snake was so scared he bit off the first moving thing that came near his head which happened to be my son's finger as he tried to pick the snake up to provide a safe zone. My kids play more often with the snakes than with the dogs (dogs are usually stuck to my side).
3 years ago, my kids came home crying. My neighbor whacked the red banded water snake that was living under a bush in our backyard. The snake likes to go on the cement pipe that feeds drainage water into the community pond. He would sit there sometimes digesting his fish. The snake is, of course, non-venomous. The kids and the dogs play in the backyard a lot. But that snake only shows himself sometimes, usually when we trim the bush. My kids gave him a name, Red, and they tend to check the bush to see if he's home. We've had him for 2 years... The neighbor kid passes by that drainage pipe to go to my house almost every weekend. One day, he saw the other neighbor with a shovel chopping Red's head off. He ran to my house screaming calling my kids... they all rush to save the snake... but too late. Red is dead. And my kids, who has been with Red since they were 5 and 7 years old, lamented the cruelty of humans.
Tough lesson. But yes. Such is the life of a snake. And I would bet you that if Red was given a choice, he'd rather be a vilified Pit Bull than a snake... at least there are tons of dog lovers who love Pit Bulls and rescues trying to save them...
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that is sad ur poor kids n poor red :/ I love snakes I've only killed one in my life n it was (I found out after a neighbors pet constrictor) it had gotten out about a month prior n ended up at our farm killing one of our cats 
n he was big enough to take them down too!!!! Anyways I found out that this spider is a wood spider!!!! I was confused by the fact he had a web n after looking found about a dozen of them all around my house just as big n all in webs......wolf spiders don't spin webs n that my friends was something idt I mentioned that he did have a web!!!! Anyways as long as I don't wake up to him or any of his friends in my bed at night hell live to see next summer!!!! I'm arachnophobic but not to the point that I hunt them lol
