Teacher's plan to feed puppies to snakes nixed

[p0tat0es]

LEON, Kan. (AP) — A teacher's plan to feed three unwanted puppies to boa constrictors during a high school biology class was stymied after complaints from some parents and tears from some students.

Matthew Patton, a teacher at Bluestem High School in this southeast Kansas town, keeps two of the snakes in his classroom and sometimes feeds them during class so students can see how they eat.

Three puppies were donated Tuesday by Davy Harkins, a school board member who operates a shelter where animals are put to sleep for the local pound.

Patton approached the feeding from a scientific perspective, Principal Dale Harper said.

"I'm not sure that he considered the sensitivity of some people when it involved what's considered a pet," said Harper, a former biology teacher. "Very few people have a problem with seeing a rat go."

Harkins said he saw the dogs being fed to the snakes as something productive since they would have been destroyed otherwise. He is now trying to find them homes.

"I see how many puppies go unwanted every week," Harkins said. "I hate to see any life wasted."

Harper said there are campaigns afoot to have Patton fired but there were no violations and the issue was resolved without any puppies being harmed.

"I think he does a good job for us," Harper said. "This just happened to be a very sensitive issue."

Harper said he was told about Patton's plan for the puppies Wednesday morning by a school official who had received a complaint from a parent.

Harper said he asked Patton not to feed the puppies to the snakes and Patton immediately agreed. Harper said he saw a few students crying.

"When you have soft, cuddly puppies ... there are people who get real concerned," he said.

Patton has been a teacher at the school for about five years and there has never been any serious problems with his teaching, Harper said. Patton did not immediately return a call for comment Friday.

Comments

dude

[stef2dope.livejournal.com]

It's idiots like this who give people who have reptiles as animals(like myself) a bad name. Seriously how could he ever think that this would go over well? Not to mention the fact that snakes don't eat dogs they are not part of the diet in the wild and also don't smell like a typical food. So even if he tried to get the snake to eat the puppies I doubt the snake would actually attack and eat it based on the smell it emits.

Too many puppies....

[putchar.livejournal.com]

If nothing else he at least pointed out how hypocritical people are about animals. They don't care when he is just feeding them rats but no, not the puppies that go unwanted at the animal shelter. Funny how they don't seem to care how many are killed at the shelters everyday. I guess as long as they don't see it then it doesn't happen. The guy is an idiot though for ever thinking this wouldn’t cause a giant outcry of save the puppies. I wonder how many people who complained are adopting the animals.

Re: Too many puppies....

[ntnrmlgirl.livejournal.com]

good points...people really can be pathetic. "out of sight, out of mind"...pisses me off.

I do think the puppy idea is disgusting, but I also would be horrified to see a rat get eaten. At least in the wild, the rat/rabbit/mouse has a chance to run.

Re: Too many puppies....

[holyloki.livejournal.com]

nice primus reference, and also I agree.