give me a large dog over a small one any day. I have to admit I have met some personable small dogs, but usually they're the ones that are out of control and the owners just ignore it because they're little. I've seen more vicious small dogs than I have large dogs. I don't want to generalize but it seems to me large dog owners take more responsibility for their animals than do those of small dogs, because fifi the teacup chihuahua is just gonna sit there and gnaw off your ankle and not do much harm and it's going to be ignored even though it is still aggression. Meanwhile the impeccably trained large breed will be demonized.

We as a community (all animals not just snakes) do have to take this responsibility because so many people are uninformed. There are those like you Dale that properly trained and socialized your dog, but there are other who got the biggest meanest looking bully breed dog because they're trying look tough.
Same with snakes. Unfortunately some owners get snakes because they think it's the cool irreverent thing to do. Kinda like some people like live feedings because it's one animal killing another. Because people don't understand that people like us on this board actually appreciate our animals for their beauty and because we're just plain fascinated by them they're more likely to group us in with the thrill seekers and irresponsible owners. (A certain youtube celebrity comes to mind with his spouting of ridiculous information. I just saw another one of his videos, which is what spurred this diatribe.)

Comes with the territory, it's just unfortunate to hear when responsible keepers are vilified for it (like one of our members losing his job recently). THe OP's encounter could have been much worse, for example the educator who had his burm's head stomped, because there are some people who refuse to come out of their comfort zone. Education is great, but it won't reach everyone, this family is a perfect example. They were probably not afraid of your snakes, they were probably just reacting to poor information and the stigma surrounding these animals. People like that often will not change their ways either.

sorry for the rant.