Jeanie, I am that way with spiders. Most people see them as a tiny insect pest, but they are enormous to me. I'll never forget a nightmare I had as a kid that my bed was infested with spiders, then when I was 16 I got bit by one that was in my pant leg and spent 3 days with my leg elevated as two red streaks crept up my thigh like a highway mapped out on my skin. And, I'll never forget the day I found the first (yes, I said first) brown recluse spider in my house in my daughter's bed. Our house became ifested with them after we replaced carpet. Did you know spiders love warehouses and dry places, like rolls of carpet
? We moved. I decided education is key and I wasn't going to live in fear. I researched everything I could about spiders and learned which ones were dangerous and which ones are harmless. I still don't like them and am fearful but not like I used to be.
Snakes are similar. Some are actually very very good. Did you know that bull snakes, that we have here in KS, save farmers millions of dollars every year for rodent control. Like KJC said, they eat the rodents that spread disease and cause damage to property, AND they are perfectly harmelss to humans. Same with many other kinds. The same cannot be said for the exotic snakes that were once pets that aret turned loose. It's sad to see what they are doing to Florida. One of these species is most likely what you seen on this guy's neck.