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READING EAGLE (Pennsylvania) 10 September 04 Dear Abby: Death of snake angers couple (Abigail Van Buren, Universal Press Syndicate)
D
ear Abby: I am a 15-year-old girl who baby-sits for extra money. I baby-sat for a new family last week. After I put the kids to bed, I found a snake in the house. I was scared for the kids, so I grabbed a kitchen knife and chopped off the snake’s head.
When the parents returned, I found out it was their pet snake that had escaped from its cage, and they were really angry. I feel terrible about it. Although I apologized, they won’t talk to me when they see me in the neighborhood.
Should I write them a letter of apology or buy them a new snake? I don’t know what the proper etiquette is when you kill someone’s pet. -- Rattled in Texas

Dear Rattled: You reacted to what you perceived as a danger. What is unfortunate is that the couple for whom you were baby-sitting were so careless they not only failed to tell you they had an exotic pet in the house, but also compounded it by leaving without making sure the creature was securely in its cage where it belonged. You do not owe the family a replacement. They owe you an apology.
Dear Abby: Death of snake angers couple

How unfortunate for the poor snake! But I would have to agree with Abby. Those were some very irresponsible pet owners.

Miller
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Miller
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I would agree with Abby. Imagine if that girl had some phobia of snakes due to some traumatic event in her life and seeing their snake caused her to panic and hurt herself or something (I dunno, just thinking) - then the girls parents would probably be suing the homeowners for something. If anyone were ever to be in my house w/o me there (babysitter, out of town guest, cleaning lady, etc) I would let them know I had the snakes and be sure they felt okay with them and how I'd 'hope/expect' them to act if by some odd chance one got out - hence, not kill/hurt it.
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Much as I hate fools who kill first and think later....(There was no reason why she couldn't have taken a broom and sweeped the critter into a bed room or something and blocked the door), or at the very least she could have moved the children and herself out of harm's way. Then she could have called the parents or the police.

Taking a knife and trying to cut off a snake's head is about as DUMB a move as one can make. If the animal had been a rattler, putting her hand that close might have resulted in a bite and a serious envenomation (and since this took place in Texas, that was a distinct possibility). Then there would have been a very serious problem.

I do feel the parents should have told her. But did they know it was loose? the story does not say that they knew it had escaped.

I once had a cat knock over a small plastic carrying cage when I was not home. It got opened because the housekeeper left the door to the snake room open when she went into (the garage) for a mop. We did not allow the cats in there (but we all know cats...)

The snake (a very small ratsnake) got loose and crawled into the kitchen. my housekeeper (who is afraid of snakes) used a broom and dustpan to carefully lift the snake and place it in a pail which she covered. No losses....and we still have both (the snake and the housekeeper).

Quick thinking solves a lot of problems.....

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

I think it goes without saying that a babysitter is not supposed to pick up a knife and chop anythings head off. If it were my house and it WAS a wild rattlesnake that had wandered inside, I would be even more angry and I would make sure some form of law enforcement were envolved. Give me a break, you just don't go around cutting things' heads off. Where do people get these ideas?!!!! Abby, you're WAY off on this one.

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"It is foolish to let singleness of purpose deprive one of the joy and delectation of the many wonderful sights and sounds incidental to the quest."
-Carl Kauffeld

The problem here is that the girl's automatic response to the snake was fear...ignorance cost this animal it's life. The girl had a lot of options besides killing a small harmless animal, why ever would she imagine a deadly risk to herself or the kids just because of the presence of a small reptile? Was it poised over a sleeping child's throat? No...The girl had a lot of options besides killing an animal she encountered, including identifying it or calling someone who could ID and/or remove it safely (for all).

I wish every parent would take their kids to the local Nature Museum and teach them how to differentiate between the venomous snakes and the common harmless/beneficial ones. And to appreciate them all.