Why is it ok by the state of Arizona to kill and feed mice, rats, rabbits to snakes but it is not?

ok to feed puppies to snakes. The only reason i'm asking this question is because here in Arizona there is a case where a man fed a puppy to a snake (in front of 2 teenagers) and was arrested for it. People buy mice, rats, and rabbits and sometimes even have them ';pre-killed'; at the petstore for the purpose of food for their snake. They are all Mammals...Why is it ok by the state of Arizona to kill and feed mice, rats, rabbits to snakes but it is not?
I think it is for several reasons:





1. People have domesticated dogs as companion animals and for centuries they have been considered as an elevated form of animal worthy of human respect. Of course this is not logical, but historically, canines have enjoyed human respect and compassion whereas rodents have been reviled and hunted or eaten. By the same token, children have learned that dogs and cats are our friends and are cute, therefore kids tend to be more traumatized at seeing harm done to these two categories of creatures than they would if it was a rodent.





2. Because the government and food/drug/ warfare industries actively use mice, rats and rabbits in laboratory testing of foods, poisons, chemicals, etc. There are labs all over the country where rodents and rabbits are tested on with what humans might consider painful/harmful substances. Perhaps they justify the use of this category of animal by rationalizing that they are lesser forms of life?





3. Nature - snakes naturally eat small rodents. They rarely encounter puppies, so perhaps its considered acceptable to allow the snakes to eat their natural prey.Why is it ok by the state of Arizona to kill and feed mice, rats, rabbits to snakes but it is not?
It's really a matter of culture. Had the man done that in China, he'd be laughed at for wasting perfectly good dog meat or he'd even get offers for the snake because someone would want to have snake meat for a big family reunion.





In America and Europe, people are comfortable with rodents being considered as suitable animals to feed to snakes (although the rat and rabbit fanciers will protest).





Dogs and cats however are not usually considered feeder animals because our relationship with them is different. We have veal but no name for cat and dog meat.





There is also the additional taboo of committing this act in the presence of two 'minors' who may latter be influenced by this experience and thus view dogs and cats as animals we can collect and slaughter to be feed to other animals.





The man was not punished for simply feeding a puppy to a snake. He had to be punished so people will not think it is ok to catch stray dogs and cats to feed them to their pet snakes and alligators etc. It was more of a deterrent and preventive measure.
I would imagine, because dogs/puppies are more of a house animal.
According to state law, which is sad to say, mice, rats, and rabbits are considered food sources to reptiles in captivity. Too me, it just doesn't fit right with me.





Canine or Feline animals are considered standard domesticated house pets and illegal for food consumption.





Either way, I believe that mammal eating reptiles and snakes should be out in the wild and not bred in captivity. These animals should hunt and find food for themselves, that's the way it's supposed to be.
ewwwwwwww
The law is often based on emotions, and people are more emotionally attached to puppies than they are to rodents and langomorphs (hares and rabbits).





It is not necessarily logical, but it does not have to be.
think about it dog is supposed to be mans best friend ever seen a rat fetch the paper ? or protect you from harm ? ever heard of a mouse park ?....... have ya ever trained a rabbit to to sleep at the foot of the bed ?
Well, more people see Puppies as pets than mice, rats and rabbits...they consider it inhumane...





Also, they cannot make it illegal for people to feed mice, rats and other rodents to their snakes, these are natural sources of food for snakes, as puppies, kittens, ect are not.


People have tried to make it illegal, but it will not happen because they have to eat and this is thier food source...


It's like trying to make feeding crickets to lizards illegal...it cannot happen...





But if someone took your pet rat out of your cage and fed it to their snake, then they would more than likely get introuble for animal cruelty because it was a pet...


It's a touchy subject...





For the girl who said they should have to hunt for themselves...so we should throw you into a pasture and tell you that you can only eat the cow that you catch...





Hope this helps..GOOD LUCK!!!
Well I don't think snakes commonly eat puppies. lol. But even if they do, it's alot different when a person is feeding it to the snake. The person is very much responsible. Puppies are domesticated house pets under many laws and restrictions for animal rights. And based on the ';They are all Mammals'; comment, would it be ok to feed it a human baby as well? lol That is ridiculous.
wow. crazy story! I think, if the snake is your pet, you should be able to feed it whatever you want, so long as you paid for it all correctly.
To the girl that said, ';mammal eating reptiles should be left in the wild and not bred in captivity';...





What about dogs and cats? You DO know that their food comes from mammals too? And I'll bet you never hunted down and killed a hamburger yourself, huh?





It's the same double standard. Reptiles aren't cute and cuddly, so they shouldn't be pets. Cats and dogs are cute and cuddly, so it's OK for them to eat meat products.
Same reason it is ok for people to eat horses, cats and dogs in other countries -- culture.