How are people really this horrible???

[halfwaynowhere]

okay, so I'm used to seeing the usual cat, dog, squirrel, bird, etc. roadkill... it bothers me, but i don't think much of it. well, this morning on my way to the bus stop, i saw a red-ear slider turtle in the middle of the street. I have a pair of these, so it really got me thinking... how does a turtle get out? and why do people let their beloved pets run free? i can understand letting them be free in their natural habitat, but letting them face the dangers that we as humans have brought into the world? I find it despicable. anyways, i just thought i'd share... i know my views can be a bit harsh, and perhaps a bit one-sided, but i feel really strongly about this whole thing. heck, that turtle was about 10 years old if it was female, a bit older if it was male, people shouldn't have pets for that long if they can't be responsible enough to watch it... and i don't know who's house it comes from, i would assume it belonged to the house it was in front of, but the turtle has been there since last night, and nobody has done anything with it. as soon as i saw what it was, i really wanted to try to rescue it, however stupid that may sound, it was long gone... i just felt really bad about the whole thing... just thought i'd post, for some reason, this really got to me...

[Valkie]

might not be pets... we've got a lot of wild red-ears around here.

[Black RiverWolf]

same thing here we a great big one crossing the road down by my dads

[John_Mischief]

The wild ones do end up on roads sometimes. When I see them I always take them to a less dangerous area.

[BabblingImp]

I don't understand people all the time, I know where I am we have a lot of turtles that we ALWAYS rescue from the road, last year I saved a baby snapping turtle off the road, I didn't know he was a snapper untill I saw him and here I am in the middle of a major duoble highway! I remember telling him if he bit me I'd send him into the nearest Simi truck! I think he knew I was saving him, cause he didn't and he looked at me with those black eyes and it felt like he'd say "No, I wouldn't bit you you are saving me!" But as far as pets go, as long as people will abuse and neglect their childeren they will do it to their pets. Not so long ago a 7 year old girl was found and she had been starved to death by her parents. And what people will do to their own kind they will do to their pets

[halfwaynowhere]

there are no native red-eared sliders around here... just a bunch of houses, and some industrial and commercial buildings a few blocks down... i don't think there are any turtles in the wild that are supposed to be here.. anyways, the turtle was moved to the side, and a lizard is now in its place... it doesn't look like one of the wild lizards, i can't tell what type it is though.. i'm just really ticked off at people in general lately...

[BabblingImp]

Aw! That's so nice of you!
Thanks, even though they can be horibble little buggers I believe that they have a right to live and that they are just as inniocent as a child :flowers:

[demonique]

I'd just like to add my two cents worth to this slightly old thread. Sometimes, pets just escape. Just happens. I don't know about that particular type of turtle, but I do know that my brother's box turtle has nearly gotten away from us before. Because hey, we were kids, and we took it outside to play, and the next thing you know, it's gone. Kids are often the culprits - does it mean they're horrible, or cruel, or too irresponsible to own a pet, or that the parents were completely irresponsible to let the kids play with the animal unsupervised? No. Of course not. It just means the pet got away from them, as animals are prone to do at times. I love animals, and I hate to see them in danger, too, but I've owned dogs, cats, lizards, turtles, snakes, rabbits... They've all got tendencies to run when they can, to explore the world. It just happens sometimes - doesn't mean the owners "let it run free".

Also, to add to that, some people simple believe that an animal (particular cats, occasionally dogs) that are cooped up and not allowed to run free are deprived of their natural habits. They're wrong - the world out there is dangerous, and animals like that can become a danger to humans, too - but they're not terrible people. They're usually just trying to do what they think is best.

And yes, there are plenty of irresponsible pet owners out there, agreed. And plenty of abusive ones, as well. But just remember that every dog, cat, rabbit, or turtle running loose isn't necessarily from an irreponsible owner - sometimes, it's just an escape artist practicing its trade. ;-)

[squerrik]

I don't understand people all the time, I know where I am we have a lot of turtles that we ALWAYS rescue from the road, last year I saved a baby snapping turtle off the road, I didn't know he was a snapper untill I saw him and here I am in the middle of a major duoble highway! I remember telling him if he bit me I'd send him into the nearest Simi truck! I think he knew I was saving him, cause he didn't and he looked at me with those black eyes and it felt like he'd say "No, I wouldn't bit you you are saving me!" But as far as pets go, as long as people will abuse and neglect their childeren they will do it to their pets. Not so long ago a 7 year old girl was found and she had been starved to death by her parents. And what people will do to their own kind they will do to their pets
In the area where my parents live, there was a very LARGE snapper that would, every once in a while, cross the nearby road. When someone would see him the accepted way of removing him was to feed him a large stick and drag him off to the side he was headed for. eventually of course someone did hit him, but even in death he got his revenge. He had grown so large that the car that hit him had to be towed away with a damaged wheel and a broken axle.
:jawdrop:

[ShamanFeather]

Snappers are really really smart. We got one off the side of the road once and I gave it a weed and it cut it right in two after looking at me like why did you poke that at me? and then he spit it at me and lunged. I just wanted to see how sharp his beak was. It was amazing and I now have a lot of respect over snapping turtles.

[MsFireHaven]

I'd just like to add my two cents worth to this slightly old thread. Sometimes, pets just escape. Just happens. I don't know about that particular type of turtle, but I do know that my brother's box turtle has nearly gotten away from us before. Because hey, we were kids, and we took it outside to play, and the next thing you know, it's gone. Kids are often the culprits - does it mean they're horrible, or cruel, or too irresponsible to own a pet, or that the parents were completely irresponsible to let the kids play with the animal unsupervised? No. Of course not. It just means the pet got away from them, as animals are prone to do at times. I love animals, and I hate to see them in danger, too, but I've owned dogs, cats, lizards, turtles, snakes, rabbits... They've all got tendencies to run when they can, to explore the world. It just happens sometimes - doesn't mean the owners "let it run free".

Also, to add to that, some people simple believe that an animal (particular cats, occasionally dogs) that are cooped up and not allowed to run free are deprived of their natural habits. They're wrong - the world out there is dangerous, and animals like that can become a danger to humans, too - but they're not terrible people. They're usually just trying to do what they think is best.

And yes, there are plenty of irresponsible pet owners out there, agreed. And plenty of abusive ones, as well. But just remember that every dog, cat, rabbit, or turtle running loose isn't necessarily from an irreponsible owner - sometimes, it's just an escape artist practicing its trade. ;-)


Agreed!