Neglected Snakes Seized in St. Louis

Below is the link to the story. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/new...ght=2%2Csnakes

Here is the story.

Evidence of neglect is found

None of the animals removed from a home in Waynesville, Mo., on Tuesday was likely more relieved than a tiny Teddy Bear hamster named Peaches.

That's because Peaches shared a room with 13 snakes, including a 10-foot Burmese python thick as a fire hose.

Peaches, the name given after her rescue, "is very happy to be alive," said Debbie Hill of the St. Louis-based Humane Society of Missouri.

The animals were seized by the Humane Society and Waynesville police after an anonymous tip turned up evidence of neglect. The snakes appeared to have been starved for months and lived in a room 30 degrees too cool for the cold-blooded creatures, Hill said.

"Going back 20 years or more, we can't recall a snake rescue of this type," Hill said.

The six pythons, five boa constrictors and two corn snakes were expected to need months of special care but make full recoveries. The largest of the snakes, a 10-foot Burmese python named Kenya, weighed 39 pounds, about 20 pounds less than it should, said Steve Brown, president of the St. Louis Herpetological Society.

The snakes will be cared for by the herpetological society. As for Peaches, she will remain with the Humane Society.

The animals' owner, a snake collector in his 30s, probably will face misdemeanor animal neglect charges.

Peaches, the name given after her rescue, "is very happy to be alive," said Debbie Hill of the St. Louis-based Humane Society of Missouri.

Any form of animal neglect is always terrible to hear, and I don't want to detract from the seriousness of the article, but I found that part humorous.
It conjured a mental image of this hamster living in constant fear, nervously biting it's nails, eyes darting from side to side.
The idea that this was the case is of course rediculous, but it is funny, in a cartoonish way, to imagine.
The saddest part though is the person being quoted was most likely serious, and actually believed it. Anthropomorphizing seems to be the standard to say the least from those who lean toward the animal rights side of the issue.

When I re-read that part, it WAS funny...but I have to plead guilty on the anthropomorphizing (I hope you're spelling it correctly, because I'm just copying you) when it comes to certain animals. I swear, I think of my dogs as furry humans.

Please don't tell me this makes me PETA-worthy! EEEK!

I think you're safe. It's easy to do with the animals which are higher on the intelligence ladder. Dogs in particular.
Many people make comments like "My ball python loves to come out and play with me". That's just rediculous, but at the same time, your dog does love to play with you, that fact can't be denied. A devoted dog, whether the owner ever realizes it or not, wants nothing more than to please it's master, all it needs is the direction of how to do it.
Animals such as dogs form a relationship with their human owners that is rare in the animal kingdom as a whole. It is descended from their inborn pack mentality, but in ways it goes further. The line between objective observation and anthropomorphizing in such cases becomes very blurred.
There's nothing inherently wrong with it anyway as long as it isn't taken to the extreme.
I do however find it mildly irritating from a personal standpoint when it is applied to reptiles, because a little basic observation demonstrates the opposite.

It's easy to attribute human qualities to a dog because they can so easily be molded into possesing the qualities we wish them to have. Nothing changes the fact they are still animals and lack basic human abilities and emotion, but I've owned enough dogs that I cannot argue that the total devotion of a good dog to it's owner can be described as a form of love.
As much as I enjoy the snakes and other animals I devote time to, my dogs are much like extra kids. Humans could stand to learn alot from our canine companions. If they are cared for properly, their devotion is unconditional, and free from cultural and social trappings humans are plagued with.

I view my dogs differently I suppose. They are more than mere animals, they are companions which I honestly believe enjoy being with me as much as I with them. Here's a few things on dogs I have enjoyed:

The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too.
--Samuel Butler

To his dog, every man is a king; hence the constant popularity of dogs.
--Aldous Leonard Huxley

A dog has the soul of a philosopher.
--Plato

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.
--Bern Williams

My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am.
--Unknown

And one of my favorites....

"A dog is not "almost human," and I know of no greater insult to the canine race than to describe it as such."
- John Holmes