Lions and tigers and snakes, oh my!

published April 28, 2011

in the Stockton Sentinel

Stockton, Kansas

In the news recently, a couple of Kansas towns have dealt with the issue of defining a “companion animal.” Most towns have ordinances on what kinds of animals can or cannot be kept inside city limits. I don’t know what the ordinances in the city of Stockton allow or prohibit, but as director of Stockton Housing Authority, I know our own definitions and rules allow cats or small dogs, less than 20 pounds. Snakes, reptiles, rabbits, ferrets, rodents and insects are not permitted under any circumstances.

At every housing conference I attend, the subject of “companion animals” comes up, one way or another. I am attending another conference this week, and I expect it to be a hot topic again, right up there with bed bugs – which, by the way, are companion animals of the most unwelcome kind, no matter how cute you might think they are!

Recently the mayor in the city of Oberlin had to break a tie vote between his council members as to whether a woman could keep her seven-foot pet boa constrictor. A great amount of time was spent in deliberation, even though the city ordinance – which specifically lists 28 prohibited animals – includes constrictor snakes. The list also includes other perfectly lovable creatures such as gorillas, crocodiles, elephants, hippopotami, lions, rhinoceroses, skunks and tigers, among others. The mayor bravely said “no,” so the snake must go.

Earlier this month, officials in Dodge City determined that Komodo dragons, which can grow up to eight feet long, are not “companion animals” that qualify as pets. This action came to the city commissioners’ agenda following a municipal court case over a pet alligator. Realizing their existing list was simply too vague to address all the possibilities people could come up with, city officials arrived at an updated list that also outlawed monitor lizards, caimans and anaconda snakes. Basically, anyone wanting to keep one of these animals was urged to get the heck out of Dodge.

Another story in the news recently comes out of Broken Arrow, Okla., where a woman is asking permission to keep a great red kangaroo that she has nursed to health from a local animal sanctuary, caring for it much like a child. A healthy animal of this nature can grow up to seven feet tall, weigh more than 200 pounds and bound 25 feet in a single leap. But because of his health issues, “Irwin” may not get larger than 50 pounds. There are some very unique circumstances in this case, which is still being debated by the Broken Arrow council. But as the city attorney said, prophetically, “Every exception made sets a precedent.” 

I love animals of all kinds. I grew up on a farm, and have had “companion animals” all my life. I would say, however, that I prefer the warm, fuzzy kind of pet rather than the cool, slimy, “scaley” kind, and certainly nothing with more than four legs or no legs at all. However, I accept and fully understand that everyone has their own preferences and favorites. But no one has the right to endanger another person by the company they keep, no matter how “safe” or harmless they think it is. Laws, ordinances, rules and guidelines are everywhere – whether we like them or not – not only to protect us from each other, but also to protect us from ourselves.