{"id":10033,"date":"2017-01-27T19:40:01","date_gmt":"2017-01-28T00:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mdcthereporter.com\/?p=10033"},"modified":"2021-03-16T13:46:00","modified_gmt":"2021-03-16T17:46:00","slug":"snake-charmer-public-safety-officer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/snake-charmer-public-safety-officer\/","title":{"rendered":"The Snake Charmer: Public Safety Officer Breeds His Love For Snakes"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"John
Snake Whisperer: John Dalton, a snake enthusiast, shows off his biggest python. The snake is one of 70 that he owns. OMAR NEGRIN THE REPORTER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When a black racer snake was found roaming around Kendall Campus\u2019 building K three months ago, the campus\u2019 Public Safety Department knew exactly whom to call to catch the slithery creature.<\/span><\/p>\n

They sought the experience of John Dalton, a 67-year-old, 5-foot-9 inch stoutly built, tattooed public safety officer, who is also a snake breeder and longtime reptile aficionado. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSome [people] had long poles…and it wasn\u2019t necessary,\u201d Dalton said. \u201cI just grabbed it. I mean, it bit me, but it wasn\u2019t a big deal. Before I could get it under control and get its head, it bit me probably four or five times. They\u2019re very aggressive.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The black racer is a non-venomous snake that is common around the area, Dalton explained. He released it to the Kendall Campus Environmental Center, where several of these snakes are housed. <\/span><\/p>\n

Serpents are no stranger to Dalton, who breeds 70 with his wife in their house\u2019s garage. They breed ball pythons, also a non-venomous, but less aggressive, type of snake. <\/span><\/p>\n

The longest ball pythons they have are between 3.5 to 4 feet long and their oldest is eight years old. These pythons are a popular snake pet choice and can live up to 25 to 30 years if they are properly taken care of, Dalton says. They are called ball pythons because of the ball-shaped position they often adopt. <\/span><\/p>\n

Dalton and his wife carefully breed the female and male ball pythons based on their colors to create different morphs, which are determined by the snakes\u2019 colors and patterns. They trade snakes with a Cutler Bay pet store called Pangea Pets<\/span><\/strong><\/a> while also trading them with other breeders and selling them to people as pets. <\/span><\/p>\n

Born and raised in Miami, Dalton has shown interest in snakes throughout his life. In his younger years, he caught water moccasins and rattlesnakes in an Everglades area called Loop Road and sold them to the Miami Serpentarium. <\/span><\/p>\n

Before becoming a part-time public safety officer at Kendall Campus two years ago, Dalton held several other positions, including police officer for the city of Miami for 30 years, where he was commander of the motorcycle unit and <\/span>supervisor of the major narcotics trafficking section. <\/span><\/p>\n

He was also a sergeant promoted to lieutenant<\/span> in 1980. Dalton <\/span>earned an associate\u2019s degree in public safety management from North Campus in 1971.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s very innovative, motivative, [and] really loves his job as a public safety officer here at Miami Dade College,\u201d said Kendall Campus public safety chief Robin Starks. \u201cHe stays on top of the radio. He\u2019s always very punctual…cares about his job, cares about the students. He has a wealth of knowledge as a retired law enforcement officer, so he does have an extensive path in that field. He\u2019s one that I would feel comfortable in any situation knowing that he would be able to handle it accordingly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dalton\u2019s duties as a public safety officer consist of ensuring the safety of the students and smooth operation of the campus, as well as securing rooms and answering calls for service.<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After returning home from work, Dalton and his wife clean the plastic bins where the snakes live. Each snake occupies one bin containing wood shavings and a water container. They have to check the bins daily, cleaning them if the snakes defecate and making sure the snakes have water. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The rack system with sliding, temperature-controlled bins is found on the 15-by-30-foot garage in the right front side of Dalton\u2019s house. Each bin has a label with the snake\u2019s name, color coded in pink for females and white for males. <\/span><\/p>\n

The snakes don\u2019t have pet names. Instead, they are named based on their morphs, such as pastel pied, banana pied, purple passion and mojave. Their very first ball python was a pastel brought by their son from Dynasty Reptiles about two years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because the bins are cleaned every day, the snakes don\u2019t exude any odors. The cleaning process takes roughly an hour and is completed after dinner around 8 p.m. Once done with the cleaning, Dalton enjoys throwing darts with a friend onto a dartboard set up in the garage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dalton has extra responsibilities when the ball pythons are in breeding season. He keeps a log to write down when the females are ovulating, which is indicated by their swollen tails. He and his wife place the females in with the males. When the eggs hatch, they are placed in substrate vermiculite and the humidity level is maintained. After 55 days of incubation, the eggs hatch. <\/span><\/p>\n