DrM
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SARASOTA COUNTY - It lasted only a few seconds, but the image of an alligator pouncing on his dog and dragging it into a lake will linger with me (name removed) forever.
Noah, an 11-year-old keeshond, was killed by an alligator in southern Sarasota County this week.
"I could live a thousand years and never get it out of my head," he said. "Absolutely horrifying."
The alligator that killed my 50-pound keeshond named Noah on Tuesday still has not been captured and is stirring fears in the south Sarasota County neighborhood just west of Stoneybrook.
A trapper has tried to catch the animal, but has not found it.
Neighbors in the Huntington Pointe subdivision put up a notice about the gator attack on a community bulletin board. And we are warning families with children to be vigilant.
I am a retired psychologist who has lived in Sarasota for 21 years.
In a state with over a million alligators, attacks on dogs are common. The state does not track gator bites on pets, but experts say dogs and cats resemble an alligator's natural prey and are seen as a food source.
A fully grown male alligator can take down a deer, and officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission say it is not uncommon for gators to go after medium-sized dogs such as Labrador retrievers.
People, though, are taller and can be intimidating to an alligator. There has not been a fatal attack on a person in Florida since 2007.
"The problem is that alligators have begun to associate people with feeding opportunities," said Gary Morse, a fish and game spokesman. "And dogs resemble their natural prey; they're four-legged and pretty close to the ground. These kind of attacks are not uncommon."
The victims, like many Floridians, are used to seeing gators in the lake behind their home. They were careful when their two keeshonds wandered close to the shore, but Noah was fighting cancer and needed to go outside a few times each night.
About 1 a.m. Tuesday, I opened the door and watched Noah wander near the lake. I thought he saw a log floating near the shore.
"As soon as I saw it, I thought: 'Oh boy,' I said.
"It chomped down, pulled him in and it was over. It was a moment I wish I could forget. But I never will."
Alligators typically drown their prey before eating it; the dog's body has not been found.
FROM: The Sarasota Herald tribune Thursday Oct. 21st Owner sees alligator drag his dog away HeraldTribune_com.mht
Noah, an 11-year-old keeshond, was killed by an alligator in southern Sarasota County this week.
"I could live a thousand years and never get it out of my head," he said. "Absolutely horrifying."
The alligator that killed my 50-pound keeshond named Noah on Tuesday still has not been captured and is stirring fears in the south Sarasota County neighborhood just west of Stoneybrook.
A trapper has tried to catch the animal, but has not found it.
Neighbors in the Huntington Pointe subdivision put up a notice about the gator attack on a community bulletin board. And we are warning families with children to be vigilant.
I am a retired psychologist who has lived in Sarasota for 21 years.
In a state with over a million alligators, attacks on dogs are common. The state does not track gator bites on pets, but experts say dogs and cats resemble an alligator's natural prey and are seen as a food source.
A fully grown male alligator can take down a deer, and officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission say it is not uncommon for gators to go after medium-sized dogs such as Labrador retrievers.
People, though, are taller and can be intimidating to an alligator. There has not been a fatal attack on a person in Florida since 2007.
"The problem is that alligators have begun to associate people with feeding opportunities," said Gary Morse, a fish and game spokesman. "And dogs resemble their natural prey; they're four-legged and pretty close to the ground. These kind of attacks are not uncommon."
The victims, like many Floridians, are used to seeing gators in the lake behind their home. They were careful when their two keeshonds wandered close to the shore, but Noah was fighting cancer and needed to go outside a few times each night.
About 1 a.m. Tuesday, I opened the door and watched Noah wander near the lake. I thought he saw a log floating near the shore.
"As soon as I saw it, I thought: 'Oh boy,' I said.
"It chomped down, pulled him in and it was over. It was a moment I wish I could forget. But I never will."
Alligators typically drown their prey before eating it; the dog's body has not been found.
FROM: The Sarasota Herald tribune Thursday Oct. 21st Owner sees alligator drag his dog away HeraldTribune_com.mht