6 garters for 10 dollars in paper

[RedSidedSPR]

I'm with Richard. I hate it when idiots don't even TRY to know how to care for animals. If you get an animal, freakin' read about it!!! A 14 year old kid should know that!! What I really want to say wouldn't make it past the filters, so I'm done.

[Millinex]

At any rate ... regardless of either being ill-informed ... I would want to see someone charged with neglect. They chose to husband these animals without living up to the responsibillities that come with it and caused suffering by doing so.
They should be educated by this experience in my opinion.

So you'd charge a 14 year old or an old lady with neglect? That's pretty sad in all honesty. You don't know the circumstances of the kid keeping them. For all you know he lived in a trailer park with no internet and no means to access the knowledge on how to care for them. For all you know he did his best with what he thought was correct, and is sitting there very upset because he has no idea what went wrong and why his pets are dead.

Man, that's why this world, and country is so far down the hole. Everyone whines and cries about each other, and wants everyone else charged and in jail for petty things.

Someone charged with neglect concerning a garter snake. No chance there.
Remember, it's a garter snake. In the eyes of most, not worth anything.
What a shame.
I agree with you Greg but It just won't happen. Not in this world, not at this time.
I'm angry with this whole situation. It repeats itself throughout this counrty on a daily basis.
Lack of education and a lack of caring are the big problem.
It's just a snake.

Exactly, education is lacking. You admit it yourself here, so why should someone be charged for not knowing any better? If anything its partially our fault for not educating BETTER, because if we had, maybe it wouldn't have happened.

A 14 year old, when armed with a little knowledge of husbandry, is perfectly capable of properly caring for a few garter snakes. I was only 13 and I was keeping several WC CA Kings and gopher snakes up to 5 or 6 feet long. They thrived and grew. I had them for years.

And you clearly had a love and interest in snakes, I also had many, from the time I was very young. Who's to say he's not just a 14 year old kid who thinks snakes are neat but had no intention of getting as far in depth as you. Maybe he had a small side interest in snakes while his main focus was football? Stop comparing this kid to you, because it's an awful comparison.

I'm with Richard. I hate it when idiots don't even TRY to know how to care for animals. If you get an animal, freakin' read about it!!! A 14 year old kid should know that!! What I really want to say wouldn't make it past the filters, so I'm done.

Not exactly a lot of books, and who knows if he ever used the computer. Who knows what he had going on in his life. You don't know the circumstances of the individual.


I'm going to be blunt, because that's just how I am:
We don't know this individual, his grandma, the circumstances, how the snakes where found in the first place, any of that. All we have is " some snakes died in the hands of a 14 year old kid ". The fact that some of you want criminal charges based solely on that information is repulsive. You are the type of people that probably run off with a lawsuit on mcdonalds when you spill the hot coffee claiming "omg I didn't know it was hot", when in reality "no ****, it's coffee!". This is what America is becoming, and it's repulsive.

As for the comment about kicking the spit out of them. You are a sick individual. Any grown man who feels the need to kick the spit out of a woman, or children, is a trash member of this society. Where I come from, you mention that kind of behavior, and we put you in the hospital, and that's just what I'd do to you for such nonsense.

[Stefan-A]

You are a sick individual.

Watch it.

[Millinex]

Watch it.

You're saying someone who wants to "kick the spit" out of a 14 year old/grandma isn't? I'm going to stand by what I said 100%, just because it's the internet doesn't mean it's acceptable to say those things. Guess what, people who say that kind of garbage would NEVER say it in real life, because there would be a line of people ready to fix that attitude real damn quick.

[Stefan-A]

You're saying someone who wants to "kick the spit" out of a 14 year old/grandma isn't? I'm going to stand by what I said 100%, just because it's the internet doesn't mean it's acceptable to say those things. Guess what, people who say that kind of garbage would NEVER say it in real life, because there would be a line of people ready to fix that attitude real damn quick.

No, I'm saying you should choose your words a bit more carefully. Disapproval can be expressed without insults.

[infernalis]

No, I'm saying you should choose your words a bit more carefully. Disapproval can be expressed without insults.

I have to concur.

One thing I have noticed is you do seem to have a rather aggressive style of writing. I have personally abandoned a couple conversations because of it.

"You have tried the stick, now use a carrot"

[guidofatherof5]

Someone charged with neglect concerning a garter snake. No chance there.
Remember, it's a garter snake. In the eyes of most, not worth anything.
What a shame.
I agree with you Greg but It just won't happen. Not in this world, not at this time.
I'm angry with this whole situation. It repeats itself throughout this country on a daily basis.
Lack of education and a lack of caring are the big problem.
It's just a snake.

Exactly, education is lacking. You admit it yourself here, so why should someone be charged for not knowing any better? If anything its partially our fault for not educating BETTER, because if we had, maybe it wouldn't have happened.

Ignorance is no excuse. Won't fly in court and shouldn't fly in life.

I believe some of the comments made by others were in the heat of the moment and not what people would actually do or want.(just my opinion)
We all could do a better job getting the word out. I'm sure many of us do what we can, when we can.

[ConcinusMan]

So you'd charge a 14 year old or an old lady with neglect?

That's what it is by definition. Should they be charged? Not really my call. Like you said, we don't know all the circumstances but regardless, animal abuse by neglect is what it is when someone takes in an animal, doesn't care for it properly, and it dies or suffers greatly as a result. And just for the record, I'm not actually in the habit of kicking the spit out of anyone. It's just talk to express my anger. I am actually a very non-violent person. I've never acted in a violent way in my life, save once or twice where it was self defense. BTW, "old ladies" are charged with animal neglect and abuse every day. Should we stop doing it because they are old?

why should someone be charged for not knowing any better?

Because ignorance is not an excuse in the eyes of the law. A sane human being with all his/her faculties in place is responsible for what he/she does. Ignorance of how to take care of the animals is not an excuse.

Stop comparing this kid to you, because it's an awful comparison.

The only comparison I am making here is to drive home the point that a 14 year old is perfectly capable of handling the responsibility. His other interests (a.k.a. "football") are irrelevant.

[gregmonsta]

So you'd charge a 14 year old or an old lady with neglect?

Without a second's hesitation. The court would decide to what degree and how culpable the people in question are.

I had no internet, with very little means in a single parent family and, starting at the age of 14, I still managed to find information and read extensively about garter snakes for close to 2 years before I got my first one.

The grandmother and the parents are the ones that are really to blame in this situation though. All are adults that really should have known better and there's absolutely no excuse for it in this day and age.

P.S. - yes educating them would be a good thing for the future but ... zero tolerance is the only thing that would make a difference. I'll happily compare this to my battles with British reptile shops and my on-going attempts to get the right info to them ... my insistance on other British forums to dispell and rubbish all of the nonsensical husbandry quips that pop up through word of mouth.
It all falls on deaf ears and until people are willing to make examples of others ... snakes will suffer and die ... simples.

[Millinex]

Without a second's hesitation. The court would decide to what degree and how culpable the people in question are.

I had no internet, with very little means in a single parent family and, starting at the age of 14, I still managed to find information and read extensively about garter snakes for close to 2 years before I got my first one.

The grandmother and the parents are the ones that are really to blame in this situation though. All are adults that really should have known better and there's absolutely no excuse for it in this day and age.

P.S. - yes educating them would be a good thing for the future but ... zero tolerance is the only thing that would make a difference. I'll happily compare this to my battles with British reptile shops and my on-going attempts to get the right info to them ... my insistance on other British forums to dispell and rubbish all of the nonsensical husbandry quips that pop up through word of mouth.
It all falls on deaf ears and until people are willing to make examples of others ... snakes will suffer and die ... simples.

He's a kid for gods sake, and you want to charge him with crimes? You're willing to have fines, time in juvie off of this kids life over a couple snakes? Ok if he was taking them and burning them sure, however, failing to keep an animal properly doesn't deserve an animal cruelty charge under any circumstance. I would never take away someones childhood over a snake, or any animal for that matter, unless he was doing something actually malicious, not just failing at husbandry, when he probably wasn't a huge snake keeping kid, and just got given presents.