| Although you can't cuddle up with a bearded | | | | Blog Check out Off Leash: Gary Bogue's pets blog |
| dragon or play fetch with a water turtle, the | | | | Section Pets and Animals news Community Pet |
| Peninsula Humane Society in San Mateo regularly | | | | Photos Upload your pet pics Twitter Follow us at |
| offers these kinds of animals for adoption along | | | | also maintains a makeshift barnyard where |
| with cats and dogs. Scott Daugherty, an exotic | | | | horses, sheep, pigs and goats can spend their |
| animal specialist with the society, said the | | | | time between owners[link= |
| organization never turns away an animal.[link= | | | | . While the majority of dogs and cats are found |
| During the two years he's worked there, he's | | | | by the humane society staff or brought in by |
| seen alligators, rattlesnakes and ostriches come | | | | good Samaritans, the exotics are usually |
| through. Alligators, rattlesnakes and certain other | | | | surrendered to the society by their former |
| animals are illegal to keep as pets in California, so | | | | owners, spokesman Scott Delucchi said. According |
| the society makes sure they get to the | | | | to Delucchi, owners tell society staffers, "We got |
| appropriate places, such as animal rescue groups. | | | | this at the pet store and we had no idea it was |
| In the case of the alligators, the reptiles had to be | | | | going to grow to be this big" or "We had no idea |
| shipped to a new home in Florida. The society | | | | what we were getting into. |