18 yr old girl plus 14 ft python equals?

[Perd Hapley]

That movie is hilarious. My favorite incarnation of Brendan Fraser was the "sensitive" guy. 

[gunsmith]

Yeah, I agree...that movie was a hoot.

I still think brain damaged mice are like brain surgeons compared to the smartest nicest snake out there.

[Antibubba]

280plus said:

re-realizing that I'm totally in love with Beverly DeAngelo

WOW!  I thought I was the only one! 

[CAnnoneer]

Hmmm, I thought a python is SUPPOSED to wrap itself around its food, constrict, and bite. Where is the surprise?

All this "animals are our friends" nonsense is so silly, especially when applied to predators.

[Firethorn]

All this "animals are our friends" nonsense is so silly, especially when applied to predators.

I'll note that both cats and dogs are also predators, and herbivores like horses, goats and such make poor pets.  Even omivorous pigs are in the 'special' pet category.

Though dogs are pack animals, and cats do form structures and dominance chains.  The fact that we've made it so that dogs will fit us into their pack structure(at the top hopefully) and we're too large to be the cat's prey helps.

[mustanger98]

Personally, I found dogs and horses both to be great pets.

Hollywierd aside, I don't think much of pigs as pets.

I recall, thinking back on the original subject of snakes, there was a guy on Georgia Public TV... Okeefenokee Joe... he opined that snakes make interesting pets, but they don't make good pets. I recall one of my cousins-in-law had a couple of big pythons... his father-in-law said if they got loose in his house, he was getting after 'em with his old rabbit-ears shotgun.

[Perd Hapley]

Some animals really are "friendly" if you feed them and keep them out of the rain.  That would seem obvious.  CAnnoneer apparantly lives someplace where the dog has never been domesticated.  Cats on the other hand - like Machievelli with fur. 

[CAnnoneer]

CAnnoneer apparantly lives someplace where the dog has never been domesticated. 

The illusion of control.

[gunsmith]

Machievelli

You know, if you got zapped by a shrink way, the dog would kill you by accident but the cat would do it on purpose.

That is why I obey the kitty.

[Perd Hapley]

CAnnoneer apparantly lives someplace where the dog has never been domesticated. 

The illusion of control.

No, the control is real, as far as it goes.  And it goes pretty far, when you consider how many things you can do to your dog and still be his very favoritist person in the whole world.  I.e., hold him down while the vet works on him, etc.  Of course, that's the real illusion.  I don't think dogs know about love or friendship, they just please the alpha dog (the owner) when he takes good care of their needs.  The effect is the same, though.

[CAnnoneer]

I don't think dogs know about love or friendship, they just please the alpha dog

Both the friendship and control are illusions, IMO. What prevents your dog from deciding one day that it is his time to be alpha, so he rips your jugular out in your sleep?

[MechAg94]

He can't open the dog food cans.  No thumbs.  He also doesn't seem to know where the water comes from that fills his bowl. 

Why would a dog want to kill his human master who waits on him hand and foot?  Who is training who?
Besides, who would throw the ball?

[Perd Hapley]

What prevents your dog from deciding one day that it is his time to be alpha, so he rips your jugular out in your sleep?

Primarily, it's the fact that he's a domesticated dog and domesticated dogs generally don't do that.  That's why we call them "domesticated." 

Is that not so? 

[cosine]

What prevents your dog from deciding one day that it is his time to be alpha, so he rips your jugular out in your sleep?

Primarily, it's the fact that he's a domesticated dog and domesticated dogs generally don't do that.  That's why we call them "domesticated." 

Is that not so? 

So, such a dog does not generally do that because he's domesticated, and such a dog is domesticated because he does not generally do that.

Perfect logic. 

[CAnnoneer]

domesticated dogs generally don't do that. 

"Domesticated" dogs attack one another all the time. If they view their master as just another dog, be it alpha dog, it stands to reason they would also attack that alpha dog under the right circumstances. "Right" is decided by a brain that thinks it is a good idea for a chihuahua to bark at a German shepherd...

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

domesticated dogs generally don't do that. 

"Domesticated" dogs attack one another all the time. If they view their master as just another dog, be it alpha dog, it stands to reason they would also attack that alpha dog under the right circumstances. "Right" is decided by a brain that thinks it is a good idea for a chihuahua to bark at a German shepherd...

Well then, why aren't dogs everywhere attacking their masters?  It simply doesn't happen, yet by that reasoning it should.

[gunsmith]

dogs do turn, but there is usually warning signs first.
some folks ignore them, but we gunnies are to alpha for that.