As this is being discussed to death, I will step in and say that, as a person who has been handling a variety of animals for years, my decision to purchase an animal that I am very cautious of was well-intentioned and informed.
The horse analogy really sticks with me, actually. In addition to a bad experience with a snake, I have also had a very bad experience my first time handling a horse without supervision. An irresponsible teaching assistant sent me down to the barns at my school to pull out a horse that I had never worked with before- and my experience with horses and very minimal. I got him about two feet from the barn when he reared up and came down on my foot, then reared again and got the lead rope tangled around his front legs. I had never been holding on to a horse that reared before, much less actually seen a horse rear in person. Instead of dropping the lead and letting him go, I managed to hold on until he calmed down and untangle his legs at the same time.
After all that, I handed him to a horse-experienced person (she was just approaching as all this was occurring) and had trouble handling my own assigned horse for the remaining three months of the class. I constantly had flashbacks to the horse rearing up and coming down on me- the experience was absolutely terrifying and has stuck with me.
Regardless of my feelings about the incident, however, I refuse to give up. I took up an independent study the following semester that required me to work with the horses and learn to read their behavior. Though I had to bring some very horse savvy friends with me to help, I eventually grew more confident in handling. My absolute fear of horses that developed after that incident has grown into a respect for their power and size, and a fascination in the human-horse bond. I would love to own a horse someday.
95% of pet ownership is learning to communicate with your animal. Dogs in particular will always be my first choice when it comes to living with a pet. It took me a year of working closely with them to fully understand the warning signs of a dog who has the potential to bite. I can read them like a book now.
My hesitation to reach in and pick my snake up out of his tank does not have any effect on the quality of care I give him. And that, I do believe, is all that matters
Reply With Quote