Local breeder screwed over by neighbors!

[meowmeowkazoo]

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=24951442

Get in the comments and show your support for this guy, please! He is a good friend of mine, and takes amazing care of his animals. KSL only lets you make one reply and one original comment, so make them count!

I'm hoping that if we get enough support on the story it might pressure the city into being more lenient.

[meowmeowkazoo]

Direct link to comments:

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148...&comments=true

[BeccaBurrr]

Oh, man..this is so sad. Poor guy

[BFE Pets]

I am truly sorry for his circumstance. However I cant leave a positive comment. The law is the law! You have to follow it or you get in trouble. He is lucky that they didn't take them from him and slap a huge fine on him. He needs to obey the laws in his community so shame on him. The city of Newport News, VA has an ordinance against boa constrictors. When I lived there I was in the same situation. I had 30 days to get rid of them. I MOVED out of city limits! I was in violation it sucked but it is what it is.

[angllady2]

It is a shame, but the law is the law. Unfortunately, he should have checked local ordinances before he moved there. I do feel sorry for him, heaven knows it's not an easy thing to face, but really it is his responsibility to learn about things like that. Sure it's not fair, but in some places even dogs and cats are restricted. When we wanted to start keeping snakes, we made sure to check our county ordinances and then checked with the owner of our mobile home park. The county had no problems, but convincing our "landlord" was not easy. But we eventually got him to do a little research on ball pythons, and once he saw how they stay small and are not aggressive, he agreed to let us keep them on the condition none of our neighbors complained about smell or the snakes being allowed loose. Which of course is not an issue. However, he was so dead set against us having snakes at first, if we had gone ahead and gotten snakes without checking with him, chances our we would have been forced to leave or sell our pets.

I hope he finds a resolution quickly, but I fear it won't end well for him.

Gale

[Southern_Breeder]

I really hope he has some support there also to help him out.

[I-KandyReptiles]

You should know your city's bylaws and state laws whether you live where you are now or move.

It's sad that he can't keep them all, but the law is the law.

[ballpythonluvr]

This is so very sad. You can tell that this man has a passion for his hobby but as others have stated, he is doing something illegal. I had to give up all four of my snakes that I loved so dearly. I moved into a house out in the country and the owner of this house does not tolerate snakes at all, not even a little. I rent this house, not own it, so I must adhere to my lease agreement. I know how hard it is to give up a hobby that you have a great passion for and also for the animals that you love so much. I hope he can move on and be happy that he will at least be able to keep one of his snakes.

[Herpenthusiast3]

Hahahha. I read the thread of comments posted to this article and I'm absolutely sickened at the ignorance pertaining to there replies! Some guy wanted to compare the victim who takes meticulous care of his snakes to having 30 cars parked in the driveway. Those aren't even in the same category. Sounds to me like another mob mentality group with ideals and canned opinions pushed by mainstream media. These people are literally dropping opinions without any factual backing. "THIS IS HOW I FEEL" DEEE DAA DEEEE! It's absolutely ridiculous that we gave people a voice and then twisted ideals. This fellow snake keeper has taken a genuine interest in snakes and at an even baser level nature. Isn't that the sort of free expression and pursuit of happiness that we claim are country is based on? It seems to me his interest is rightly placed giving the fact that we are individualistic society that has pushed it's people to be concerned with nothing else but are own selfs image in this rat race. Pretty sad. Hoarding is a compulsion to own animals. In this hobby 30 plus snakes is not uncommon and a responsible snake keeper has a desire to work with a particular animal not a desire to "OWN" an animal. That's part of what's wrong with this country. Everyone has an entitlement issue. People who claim to own their animals In The true sense of the word as though their companion is subservient, are the same people who will buy a pit bull learn nothing about them, get mad at there nature instead of trying to understand it, and make mistakes that get either themselves or someone else bit. Why should he have to get rid of his snakes or move? Are those seriously the options?! Because people have a fear of snakes brought about by misconception? Everyday I leave my house I see people walking around who I know are not in there right state of mind and that puts me in danger. I want an ordinance saying those people have to leave my area!!!! Once again I would like to point out that this man has taken a genuine interest in something pure and from the sounds of it was sparing no expense in doing it properly and is being chastised because a rule was passed keeping the blinders on all the people who want to have a opinion but no knowledge base pertaining to the matter. It's not right. *** RISEUP***

[Evenstar]

It is a shame, but the law is the law. Unfortunately, he should have checked local ordinances before he moved there. I do feel sorry for him, heaven knows it's not an easy thing to face, but really it is his responsibility to learn about things like that. Sure it's not fair, but in some places even dogs and cats are restricted. When we wanted to start keeping snakes, we made sure to check our county ordinances and then checked with the owner of our mobile home park. The county had no problems, but convincing our "landlord" was not easy. But we eventually got him to do a little research on ball pythons, and once he saw how they stay small and are not aggressive, he agreed to let us keep them on the condition none of our neighbors complained about smell or the snakes being allowed loose. Which of course is not an issue. However, he was so dead set against us having snakes at first, if we had gone ahead and gotten snakes without checking with him, chances our we would have been forced to leave or sell our pets.

I hope he finds a resolution quickly, but I fear it won't end well for him.

Gale

I absolutely agree with Gale here and the few others who've posted the same. I really feel badly for Thomas Cobb, but this is exactly why you must check with the local township and city ordinances BEFORE you move in and/or acquire any type of exotic animals (or even dogs or cats). The fact is that MANY communities have ordinances like this and many have been in place for a long time - well before the recent legislation has put this stuff in the public eye. No matter how well Cobb keeps his snakes or how well he takes care of them, the fact that he did not initially research the community's laws prior to moving in makes him just as irresponsible as the snake owner who keeps his snakes in less than ideal conditions or allows them to escape or turns them loose. I am not flaming Cobb at all, but as responsible exotic animal owners, we MUST follow the law and set a good example from the very beginnig.

I do wish the police had given him more time to come to a solution. 1 week is not enough time to decide what to do and get it done. 30 days is the norm in these cases. But perhaps there is a clause with this particular ordinance that insists on immediate resolution. We can't know all the facts. But please remember that the police are following the law and are upholding the law. That is their job and they don't have a choice about it even if they don't like it themselves. Sgt Bartlett, who was in charge of investigating the situation, actually makes the comment in this article that he was impressed by how Cobb was caring for his snakes and that the setup and snakes were "neat." I think he may well have felt badly about the situation too. "It's very neat, the way he has them," Bartlett said. "I mean, it's well organized and it's neat. Unfortunately, it's illegal."

"A few ruin it for the many— a few irresponsible people. Just like a few irresponsible dog owners. A few irresponsible drivers. A few irresponsible parents. They ruin it for the people that do it right," Cobb said. "And I'm the guy that does it right." But you didn't do it right Tom. You didn't check the ordinances before you moved in. I am truly sorry you are now in this situation and I sincerely hope there are some folks in the reptile community nearby who can help you. I do hope this situation gets resolved in your favor while still in accordance with the law.

I do hope the reptile community in his area (perhaps there is a local herp society??) will come to his aid and perhaps suitable living situations could be found for these snakes to allow Cobb more time to prepare, perhaps move, or work out some other arrangement. It is time for the herp community to step up and support a fellow member in a legal and ethical manner.