Rose is a rose is a rose

   If it weren’t for the love of Pete, Rose wouldn’t be alive. When Pete Griffin, of Winder, first laid eyes on Rose, she was suffering from pneumonia and had a huge gash across her forehead. Pete immediately sought medical care. After weeks on antibiotics, Rose’s pneumonia cleared up. After weeks of Pete’s gently rubbing Neosporin into her delicate skin, the scar disappeared.

   That was six years ago and because of her love of Pete, Rose has been giving back by helping him with his mission. Well, OK, Rose doesn’t really love Pete. Snakes are incapable of love. But when you see the seven-foot Colombian red tail boa constrictor wrapped around Pete’s neck, it’s obvious that she’s very happy.

   “She knows me. I take her out for a walk every day and she can sense who I am by my body heat,” said Pete, a wildlife interpretive specialist and outreach coordinator for the Charlie Elliot Wildlife Center in Mansfield. 

   As much as Pete loves Rose, he doesn’t recommend snakes as pets.

   “A snake’s not going to meet you at the door wagging its tail when you come home from work. And there’s a lot of care involved with container size, food regimen and heat or lack thereof.”

   But with a job like Pete’s, Rose is a perfect pet.

   “She introduces to people both young and old what a snake feels like. In the time I’ve had her she’s seen about 20,000 folks. When I go out, people ask about Rose before they ask about me.”

   “Snakes are a vital part of the food chain,” said Pete. “If you take snakes out of the food chain, the chain will collapse.”

   “So we should never kill snakes, not even poisonous ones?” I asked.

   “There’s no such thing as a poisonous snake,” said Pete. He explained that poison lies on the surface, as with poison ivy. Venom is injected, so snakes can only be venomous. Signs of venomous snakes include elliptical eyes, triangular heads and certain markings.

   “Like coral snakes?” I asked. “Red, black yellow, nice fellow or yellow, black, red, you’ll be dead or something like that?”

   “Forget the poetry,” Pete said. “If you’re not familiar with them, all you need is one word. Snake. If it’s a snake, leave it alone. And snakes are not interested in pursuing you, so don’t ever kill one.”

   I looked at Rose. Her elliptical eyes, set back on her sleek triangular head calmly stared back.

   “Wait a minute,” I said. “Her eyes! Her head!”

   “Oh, Rose is from South American. The rules are different there.”

   “So for all you and Rose have taught me about snakes, I still can’t be sure of anything?”

   “One sure thing. Snake.”

   Oh, for the love of Pete! (If you’d like to meet Rose—and Pete— call 770-784-3059.) 

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