Another person has been tragically killed by a family pet. A dog killed a three-day-old baby in Ohio 17 May 2012. A dog, again, not a python or a boa or a monitor lizard. As politicians on all levels of government are clamoring to “save us” all from the dangers of exotic pets, two children in the United States have been killed by family pet dogs in three weeks’ time (a Nevada toddler was killed by his family’s dog 28 April 2012).
If you happen to live in a state or municipality where YOUR right to choose your pets is threatened by nanny-state legislation, ask your nanny-state legislators why they refuse to really defend public safety and ban dogs! The proof is right there – two children dead in less than a month. Imagine, just imagine, if two children were swallowed by pet pythons in a span of three weeks. I don’t need to describe the hysteria which would ensue.
Here’s the story from Ohio:
http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2012/05/18/Infant-dies-after-attack-from-pit-bull.html
And if you missed it, here’s the story from Nevada.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/apr/28/first-birthday-ends-tragedy-when-family-dog-attack/
Of course, as I have clearly stated in earlier posts, I am not advocating that any dogs really be banned. The point is that attention to cases such as these needs to be brought to the politicians who are very eagerly passing laws (in the name of “safety”) limiting or eliminating YOUR right to keep exotic pets. Keeping pythons and boas does carry a certain amount of risk – and as we plainly see, keeping dogs does also. Just ask either of those two families. Tell your elected officials to leave you and I to decide for ourselves what kinds of pets we will keep, and leave us to accept the associated risks involved with our decisions.
And for Heaven’s sake, be responsible with your animals! An escaped python gets more negative press than a killer dog.
While I have your attention, HR511 is still lurking in Congress. This one bans reticulated pythons, boa constrictors, and green anacondas in the same way the USFWS declaration banned importation and interstate transport of Burmese and African rock pythons and yellow anacondas. The reasoning is that these snakes are potentially “invasive” and/or potentially “injurious”. You owe it to yourself and your fellow hobbyists to contact your representative and tell him or her that you oppose HR511. Find your representative here (it’s easy and you can email them if you are not motivated to telephone or write).
http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
Congressman Thomas Rooney of Florida is primary sponsor of the bill. I believe that he’s probably a good guy with good intentions, but he is way off with HR511. Florida’s issues are not America's issues (almost all of HR511’s co-sponsors are also from Florida!)
States are very capable of handling invasive species issues as needed. This is not a federal issue and thus has no place in Congress. You can tell Congressman Rooney your opinion if you feel so inclined.
Here’s his contact information:
https://forms.house.gov/rooney/webforms/issue_subscribe.html
