TRIBUNE CHRONICLE (Warren, Ohio) 24 July 08 Warren Council bans pet raccoons, poisonous snakes (Bill Rodgers)

Warren: Randolph Hendrickson is afraid the city will take his friend - a 6-foot long albino python named Sissy - away from him.

He was upset at City Council's approval Wednesday of a ban against keeping raccoons, poisonous snakes and non-poisonous snakes capable of injuring people as pets.

The ordinance passed 7-3. Also approved at Wednesday's council meeting were a pair of ordinances that raise stormwater utility fees to pay for storm sewer improvement projects.

Hendrickson appeared visibly upset at the meeting after Councilmen Bob Dean, D-at Large, Alford Novak, D-2nd Ward and Dan Crouse, I-at Large, were the only members to vote against the dangerous animal ordinance brought by Doc Pugh, D-6th Ward.

Hendrickson told council prior to the vote that he had raised and sold snakes his entire life and Sissy was a longtime pet of his.

"I just want to know what you consider a dangerous snake ... I sound nervous but I just don't want to lose my pet, know what I mean?" he said.

The snake is a constrictor that eats mice. Hendrickson said children in his neighborhood pet it.

He did not take it to the City Council meeting.

Mayor Michael J. O'Brien asked Hendrickson to stay after the meeting to speak with some city health and safety officials, but at a caucus discussion prior to the meeting, Law Director Gregory Hicks said the legislation was a response to complaints from people whose neighbors were bringing their odd pets out in public.

Hicks said police were not sure what to do when people called in with one complaint that someone was walking around a neighborhood with a python around his neck.

Their hands also were tied following one complaint in which someone was supposedly riding a bicycle down the street with a raccoon perched on his shoulder.

"They're not going to be knocking door-to-door to see if anyone has a poisonous snake," Hicks said.

Novak said he had calls from people concerned about losing their own pets, as did Dean. Novak asked who the city would call if police had to identify a poisonous snake.

"I think we could find someone who can go out and say 'that's a rattler,'" Pugh replied.
Warren Council bans pet raccoons, poisonous snakes

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• OH Press: Warren bans venomous - W von Papineäu, Tue Jul 29 15:40:49 2008