Neighbors Say Dubuque Home Smells Like a Zoo

DUBUQUE - Neighbors say hundreds of snakes, mice and rats are stinking up a Dubuque neighborhood.

Last month Dubuque police found 350 snakes living inside a Dubuque home. Police inspected the home and confiscated six illegal snakes, but they left the rest.

Now a next door neighbor is speaking out. She claims there's an unsettling odor in the air.

Kate Dean is sick of the smell she says is spewing from her neighbor's house. So she's made several complaints to the city's health department.

Dean said, "It’s almost like when you're at a zoo and one the animals does what it does."

Next door Bill Shaffer and Linda Merfeld house the snakes as pets. These are the snakes they keep in the upper level of their home and they keep hundreds of mice and rats in the basement to feed the reptiles.

"The rodents are in the basement but there is no odor coming out. We never open the windows down there for one thing, and they get cleaned twice per week if not more."

Bill and Linda would only allow us in the basement without our cameras because they are in the process of cleaning. But when we were downstairs it basically smelled like a pet store.

"I never noticed an odor, and if it was that bad you would think animal control or the health department would knock on my door and say it stinks out here."

But Dean is worried what she can smell might hurt her children.

Dean said, "During the summer we have to run the air conditioning all the time because of we leave the windows open and the wind is blowing from that way, then it comes in from that way.

The Health Department has investigated and says the odor is not a health threat; it's more of a nuisance. A nuisance Dean says she can't stand.

Dubuque does not limit the number of snakes a person can own. The Health Department says staff will continue to monitor the situation during the warmer months.

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/5998796.html

Ugh... neighbors. I wonder if the snake people can complain about having to keep their windows closed to keep the shrieks of children from interupting their peace and quiet?? People are getting more intolerant by the day.

I doubt the neighbor ever had a problem until she found out about the snakes. Neighbors can be such a pain.

SMART not to allow the cameras. They would have taken 100 photos and found ONE that looked dirty and used it. I would not have allowed the reporters into the property with or without their cameras. No legal warrant insisting.....no entrance onto my property~ they always sensationalize those stories as much as they can. If the worse they could bring themselves to say was it "smelled like a pet store" they must have seen the room on the cleanest day of the year~ with no rats pooping, giving birth, or fighting that day......because if they could have made it sound worse I have no doubt they would have.

350 - 6 =344 snakes in a house in a neighborhood.
Of course the house stinks, with that many animals pooping andpeeing it is bound to smell like the bottom of a kennel with dogs kept inside and the urine stench permeating everything in the neighborhood.
I think the people have the right to keep 'some snake's in their house, but 344 is overdoing it a bit.
What would you do with 344 snakes unless you were breeding them and selling them, which the article didn't mention anything about.
In this case, if the people are just keeping the snakes as their Pet's they are way out of line regarding the consideration of the other neighbors in the neighborhood.

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake

350 - 6 =344 snakes in a house in a neighborhood.
Of course the house stinks, with that many animals pooping andpeeing it is bound to smell like the bottom of a kennel with dogs kept inside and the urine stench permeating everything in the neighborhood.
I think the people have the right to keep 'some snake's in their house, but 344 is overdoing it a bit.

Just because you don't have the experience to keep a large collection clean and healthy doesn't mean that others don't. With a proper, easy to maintain system, it is not all that difficult to keep hundreds or cages clean.

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake

What would you do with 344 snakes unless you were breeding them and selling them, which the article didn't mention anything about.

Just because the article doesn't mention it, doesn't mean that's not what's happening. It's not a detailed examination of their life, it's a quick news story. It didn't say what color their house was either, does that mean it isn't any color? Maybe invisible?

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake

In this case, if the people are just keeping the snakes as their Pet's they are way out of line regarding the consideration of the other neighbors in the neighborhood.

My neighbors stand out front, smoke cigarettes, and scream and carry on until after midnight. It is very annoying, especially when your trying to get a 3 month old to sleep. Snakes are quiet and do not disturb the neighbor in any way other than what is in her own mind.

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake

350 - 6 =344 snakes in a house in a neighborhood.
Of course the house stinks, with that many animals pooping andpeeing it is bound to smell like the bottom of a kennel with dogs kept inside and the urine stench permeating everything in the neighborhood.
I think the people have the right to keep 'some snake's in their house, but 344 is overdoing it a bit.
What would you do with 344 snakes unless you were breeding them and selling them, which the article didn't mention anything about.
In this case, if the people are just keeping the snakes as their Pet's they are way out of line regarding the consideration of the other neighbors in the neighborhood.

Wow, thats about the most misinformed statement ive ever seen on this site.... do you PERSONALLY keep that many snakes? have you MET anyone that does?

Thats right... probably not. If youre going to make this hobby out like its some sort of puppy mill Crappy pet store, you can keep your comments to yourself. You obviously have NO CLUE about anything that has to do with this hobby or anyone in it.

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake

I think the people have the right to keep 'some snake's in their house,but 344 is overdoing it a bit.
What would you do with 344 snakes unless you were breeding them and selling them, which the article didn't mention anything about.
In this case, if the people are just keeping the snakes as their Pet's they are way out of line regarding the consideration of the other neighbors in the neighborhood.

I think you are on the wrong site.

Originally Posted by Dennis Hultman

I think you are on the wrong site.

To have that many snakes you've got to have a nice caging system, especially seeing as they've got mouse racks so I'd assume the smell could not be THAT bad. Surely no worse than having a few dogs around. Neighbor is probably afraid of snakes or dislikes the owners.