Boas/Pythons are to cornsnakes as pit bulls are to Golden Retrievers/labs

[Lavman breeder]

Ok, This post has turned into something I had not planned and ventured way off topic.

I like Pythons and boas and have actually been thinking about purchasing a pair of kenyan boas. I'm not a fan of Pitbulls... probably because I've been attacked by three pitbulls within a two year period and my friends daughter was mauled and killed by a neighbors pitbull. Quite a few more deaths have been caused by this breed. They were originally cross bred to fighting dogs and to be ferocious. Pit bulls in general are VERY good to their owners but can be unpredictable with strangers. I've also met my fair share of really nice pit bulls and I think there are many exceptions however I don't like the Pit Bull breed. I'm finished posting on this topic.

 

[v_various]

so why on earth do you think a kenyan sand boa is the "pit bull" to a corn snake "lab"? If anything, it would be the other way around, but honestly the whole comparison falls flat anyway you slice it.

Idiots tend to own the meanest sounding breed, so most idiots do go for pits and rotties. Anyone looking for an "edgy" pet is attracted to these breeds, they don't train them, then bites happen. If poodles were mean sounding and edgy, it would be that breed biting up the public. Pits can be dog aggressive, but even for the fighting they've always been selected to be gentle towards people (you can't have human aggressive pits in the fighting ring, you need to be able to control them)

Blame the owners.

 

[luckycharm318]

Oh goodness. Here we go.

You could say that large constrictors are like breeds of dogs that people have bad connotations with, but then again people who think big snakes are bad are most likely afraid of, or dislike most snakes in general. Also, why is it always the Golden Retrievers and Labs getting the good rap? What about all those other breeds of dogs out there? I think you should compare a corn to a more colorful breed, aka one that comes in many different colors like corns do. Or maybe, you just shouldn't be comparing apples to oranges in the first place!

I think that threads about Pit Bulls and other "aggressive/scary" breeds of dogs should be discouraged here. Especially when the dogs are being portrayed in more of a negative light from the beginning, as it always seems to spark some sort of ~20 page argument with stories of being bitten and other stories about the dogs being childrens' baby sitters.

I know I've participated in a thread like this in the past and the stories are meaningful but, it is very unlikely that any personal stories or statistics will change anyone here's opinion on the topic. However it is likely that someone will end up with hurt feelings.

So why not save yourself some time and instead of beating a dead horse, research facts on why the python ban should be stopped and use all your powers of reasoning on them!

Just my $0.02. Preparing to :duck:

 

[Ssthisto]

I'm not a fan of Pitbulls... Quite a few more deaths have been caused by this breed.

Thing is, if a dog bites, it MUST be a pit bull. It doesn't matter if the dog itself has a pedigree as long as your arm saying it's a purebred kennel-club-registered show-winning Rhodesian ridgeback.... if it's bitten someone it must have been a pit bull, particularly if it's not the person who owns the dog that's reported the bite. All short-haired sleek black and tan dogs that bite are Dobermans; all short-haired bulky black and tan dogs that bite are Rottweilers.

It's all generalisations. I have never personally met a nasty rottie, dobie or pit; I have met nasty mongrels with no pit in them, Bassett hounds, Dachshunds....

And I've been bitten by more corns than boids, too.

 

[Jay@PJCReptiles]

I HATE pit bulls. If one has a bad moment, someone, or a dog, gets mauled. If pretty much any other dog has a bad moment, someone, or a dog, gets a bite, but not mauling. Nothing will change my mind about that.

But enough of my bad memories. I think it depends a bit more on the specific species. Some are just nasty, and some aren't. Individuals are different as well. My okeetee can be real nasty if you accidentally hurt him or scare him, but most of the time he's so calm and curious that I can rub his lower jaw and chin. On the other hand, a pair of very young corns were absolutely nasty; they tail rattled, hissed, striked, bit, and musked.

Same thing with my experience with king snakes. Two Florida king snakes were very nice with me, calm, curious, and healthy looking. On the other hand, a black king snake musked and shook its whole body around when disturbed, and an albino Cali king bit me twice and CHEWED on me while musking me.

All ball pythons I've held have been pretty, eh, boring. They'd lock up as soon as you picked them up and wouldn't do anything else, though one was rather nervous while shedding. Two or three BPs I've held have been cautious, yet they moved around curiously.

I've held a number of young RTBs, and they've been calm and curious with me, even one that was about 1.5 years old. Heavier than any snake I've held, but would have made a lovely companion if it would've stayed small.

Milk snakes, except for one that was at least a year old, I've mostly held very nervous ones, most of which, while all from the different pet stores around here, seemed skinny.

I've also held an adult (not yearling like other big snakes, adult) albino gopher snake, which was a little jumpy, but quite okay with handling. Two younger bull/gopher snakes (PetCo is a good store, but they're apparently too lazy to realize those are totally different snakes) I've held have been very calm and curious, but slowly explored with a relaxed attitude.

I've dealt with a luetistic rat snake, but that's the only rat snake, besides corns, I have any experience with. The first time, it was insanely calm, and the time after that it was super jumpy. :\

All in all, I think it really just matters.

Shenzi,
You have absolutely no clue what you are talking about. Either about dogs or snakes for that matter.

Ok, This post has turned into something I had not planned and ventured way off topic.

I like Pythons and boas and have actually been thinking about purchasing a pair of kenyan boas. I'm not a fan of Pitbulls... probably because I've been attacked by three pitbulls within a two year period and my friends daughter was mauled and killed by a neighbors pitbull. Quite a few more deaths have been caused by this breed. They were originally cross bred to fighting dogs and to be ferocious. Pit bulls in general are VERY good to their owners but can be unpredictable with strangers. I've also met my fair share of really nice pit bulls and I think there are many exceptions however I don't like the Pit Bull breed. I'm finished posting on this topic.

Lavman,
I am sorry to hear about your misfortune but I am almost positive you can track those individual dogs temperaments back to the owners. Here is a little information for you nay-sayers to put in your pipes and smoke.

A recent study carried out on 6,000 dogs and their owners found out 33 of the most aggressive dogs, and also those which have good temperaments. The study involved collecting data from two different groups. The first group consisted of 11 different breeds and the second was an online survey mainly involving owners, including 33 breeds. The conclusions from both groups were similar. It looked at the different types of aggression such as towards other dogs, towards strangers and towards owners. Some of the results were surprising, below are the top ten most aggressive breed:

1.Dachshunds
2.Chihuahua
3.Jack Russell
4.Australian Cattle Dog
5.Cocker Spaniel
6.Beagle
7.Border Collie
8.Pit Bull Terrier
9.Great Dane
10.English Springer Spaniel

The Dachshund, otherwise known as the Sausage dog, was originally bred to hunt badgers. They came out as the most aggressive breed with 1 in 5 reported to have bitten or tried to bite a stranger and 1 in 12 snapping at their owners.

Other dogs that are known to be aggressive include:

•Chow Chow: this is a “one person dog”. It forms a very strong bond with one person (usually the owner) and is ferocious around strangers who it considers a threat to its owner. It is a good guard dog, but it can bite without warning and they are tenacious fighters.
•Papillon: These dogs are fiercely loyal of their owners and can be very possessive, they don’t like strangers either.
•Old English Sheepdogs: Again these dogs are very protective of their owners. They are strong-willed and independent and they will nip either other animals or children.
•Lhasa Apso: These dogs can be cranky and unpredictable; they are strong-willed and independent. They were originally bred as guard dogs.
•Giant Schnauzers: They are very dominant and will challenge adults and strangers.
•Pekingese: These dogs do not like strangers and can be very aggressive towards them
•Miniature Pinschers: These are little dogs but they can be very aggressive to compensate for this.

Source:
http://www.dogbiteclaims.co.uk/dangerous-breeds.html​

We own two Pitbulls and they are the most laid back, happy go lucky, non aggressive, (towards people or other animals) happy to please dogs you will ever meet. We took the time when they were pups to acclimate them to other animals and we were very tactile with them. Meaning we would touch, tug, pat, pull on them all over their bodies, not to hurt them but to let them know that there was and never would be anything to be afraid of or be aggressive towards. I have only been bitten once in my life by a dog and that was when I was four. As I recall, it was not a Pitbull hanging off my lower lip but a Chihuahua. I guess I should have the same demeanor towards that breed as you do against Pitbulls. Don't get me wrong, I know that there are some Pits out there that will never be able to be acclimated towards a "normal" dogs life but I feel for the most part you have to consider things on a case by case basis. The same way you would with people. I can almost guarantee and I would even bet money that 9 times out of 10 that if the dog is an asshole (no matter the breed) it's owner is even more of one. Some of you people really need to think things through before you make a thread/post. It is my opinion that the title of this thread is an unsensible/illogical comparison and had very little thought put into it before hand.

Jay
A.K.A. "White Trash"

 

[*salAMANDA88*]

I don't want to say what I'm really thinking here.......JUST SO YOU KNOW.
I think that each snake is different, just like each dog, just like each person.

( I did have a whole rant..but I decided not to...)

But for the record.....I Love Pitbulls, Labs, corns(RATS SNAKES), and boas and pythons..

I HAVE A LAB PITBULL MIX and he is the best dog I have ever had the pleasure to meet. JAY and PJ's PITBULLS welcomed me into their home and lives teh first day I met them. The big male pinned me down and kissed me all over...and teh felame spent every second attached to me, just wanting affection..
I also own Corns (and other rats), and I own a python and had a boa....I love all my animals tremendously..and I really was irked by the statement that the title made in this thread...

.....(but this is all comming from a person living in the backwoods of Maine..so I guess my opinion may be overlooked.)

................................................................................

HEY JAY!! "WHITE TRASH, HARD CORE, ROCK N' ROLL!!!!!" Whoo!!:grin01:

~~'manda

 

[*salAMANDA88*]

PS. My Keyboard is on teh fritz..sorry for the jumbled letters)

 

[Jay@PJCReptiles]

Oh yeah. Almost forgot...............

Jay
A.K.A. "White Biker Trash"

 

[wretchedprocess]

You can't really call yourself decent white trash if you're trying to ban smokes, my man.

*Lights up*

*inhales*

Aaaaaah.

Seriously, what next? You gonna take away my Jack Daniels?

*****

When I was but a tiny thing, my brother was mauled by a neighbor's pitbull. A mistreated one, and he was tricked by the neighbor kids into going into the yard to begin with. This kicked off a phobia of dogs in me that lasted for decades. I was TERRIFIED of the things, all of them. Luckily, that diminished over time to the point that I was really just amused when my creepy drug-dealer neighbors' angry little terrier clamped on to my leg one time and left the most spectacularly colourful bruise I had ever seen in my life. I was by that point okay with dogs, and some of them I even liked. But I had never met a dog I *loved*.

Until I spent a few days staying with my brother-in-law and his fiancee, and their spectacularly awesome pitbull. Who is the coolest dog I have ever met, and I ADORE him. Since then I have been attracted to saying hi to any pitbull I see on the street, and they're always sweet and friendly.

The big ol' albino python at the rescue is a sweetheart, and the meanest snakes there are a black kingsnake, and my snow corn Whisper's clutchmate. You knew this was nonsense when you posted it, OP, save for the parallels that can be drawn between the media portrayals of large snakes and pitbulls. And in case you haven't noticed, reptile people in general tend to be a little weird. Some of us even have tattoos. Me, I'm a goth. But I'm from southern Indiana and proud of it. On the other hand, I only own corn snakes. How perplexing.

In conclusion: *eyeroll*

 

[wstphal]

Why are albino pythons always sweet? I dunno but it seems to be true!

Biggest injury I have had from a pit bull -- getting knocked head over heels by a a big one that wanted to lick & cuddle so much it RAN at me & jumped. Then I got my face slimed and my glasses slimed, and...

On the other hand, the little spaniel we had when I was a kid inflicted a really bad bite. If I had been a smaller kid, it would have been quite a serious situation, actually.

You decide. Big snakes? Big dogs? Reputation in the media, yeah, but really, most big dogs & most big snakes are pretty mellow creatures. If you are an alpha predator, you don't NEED to be mean.

 

[ZoologyGirl]

This thread kind of reminds me of the one about the box and the field....