Going (Way) Beyond Fur and Purr
Nicole with her friend, Reason, a boa constrictor imperator.
o.K. all you fur and fluff loving pet fans…
It’s time to expand your horizons. Or should that be lower your horizons—to ground level? That’s where you’ll find the unusual collection of cold-blooded pets that warm-hearted Nicole Massicotte cares for, literally, all over her house.
An array of rescue snakes along with a frog, and a hedgehog live with Nicole, a Support Worker at Detox, and her husband, Joseph. You’ll also find Dante, the resident dog, and maybe a rescue dog or two. But rescue snakes? Yes, Nicole says that most of the snakes they’ve found on Kijiji were extremely underweight, sick, and in need of immediate vet care. She couldn’t say no: “Most people don’t care for reptiles like they would with a cat or dog. So, I’ll always take them in.”
You’d think these lucky, unusual house guests would be content and grateful–one big happy family. But Nicole says that’s definitely not the case: “Absolutely no one gets along, mainly because most of them are different species. Snakes are solitary animals. Most are aggressive and ‘bitey’”. To accommodate these pets, Nicole has tanks all over her home, saying “…we can no longer eat at the kitchen table because it houses a 7-foot Boa.”
Asmodeus, the exotic hognose traveler.
Not all the snakes are rescues. Nicole’s dream snake, a venomous, tri-colour hognose, travelled all the way from Europe! Apparently it’s legal to own these snakes here “…because they have fangs at the back of their mouth rather than the front.” (We’ll take your word on the fang location, Nicole.)
Snakes and other reptiles aren’t Nicole’s only passion. Nicole and Joseph also foster dogs. The most recent was Bowser, an American bulldog who’d been blinded when hit by a car.
Bowser, now happily adopted.
The good news is that Bowser got adopted into a happy home. In two years, they have successfully fostered and adopted out nine dogs or puppies. They hope to get another foster friend soon.
This Christmas season there may not be a lot of pet cuddling at Nicole’s but there is definitely a lot of caring and compassion. Thanks for the tour of your unusual pet collection, Nicole! And thanks for the great reminder of what really matters at this time of year and all year long.
Words of wisdom from Nicole: Please remember, exotic animals are a 25-year commitment and they do require work. So please do extensive research before making that big decision.
Visit a few more of Nicole’s ‘low down’ pets here….
