The news report I saw (ch 6) showed the guy holding the dog in his arms. Do you think dogs being held need a leash? Do you think dogs on their own property need a leash?

I'm not getting this.

So you can predict what a wild reptile will do, depending on whether a dog is tied in and limited to a 6-foot circle or not???

If the dog had been tied to a tree or bush in its own yard, there is no reason to assume the gator wouldn't have come after it for lunch THERE!

And if the dog had been on a leash in the owner's hand, inside or outside their yard boundary, there is no assurance that the gator wouldn't have come after the dog AND the man, and the gator can out-run them!

People should obey the leash laws, but the problem here is that GATORS don't give a rip about leash laws!!!

My stupidity threshold has been maxed out for the day, done here for a while.

This is what the guy who captured the gator (firewalkerb3) had to say in another thread:

"I assure a dog lease would have not changed a thing. I assure you this gator had been thinking about his dog for some time. His dog is white the color of a gators favorite bird. Once a gator decides he is going to eat something, he going after it. Yes a gator will walk right throw a screen room to get a meal."

If you are a thief and you come onto my property you have me to deal with. If you are an animal and you come onto my property with intent to do harm to me or mine, you have me to deal with. You can take it to the bank that the gator in question saw both the man and the dog in the back yard and still went for the dog. Hence, you have a rouge gator that has lost his fear of man. 1 + 1 = Kill the gator before he moves on from dogs near water to stealing my rump roast off the grill and next to coming through the screen door after my wife. Yes that would be the extreme case, but if you don't think that is possible, you know nothing about animal behavior. Sorry but that is the way I feel.

So the Bottom Line: As much as I like to see the gators in the ponds if they become so relaxed that they do not skitter away when a man is within 50 to 100 feet of them, its time for alligator soup.

Simply put, I could care less about the alligator. He is a PREDATOR! I do care a great deal about someone's companion pet.

In answer to your question, "Do you accept it as being OK to ignore the rules that you don't like ??? , this is my reply - "Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone".

dog versus alligator
 

The bottom line here is that we have a dead alligator, could have had a dead dog, could have had a seriously injured man all because the owner chose to ignore the leash laws that apply to everyone. Alligators are NOT predators of humans, they hunt small animals and normally avoid man. I am glad you feel better and if you are a pet owner drive a car or anything else that have regulations, it is a good idea that you obey those regulations.

"Alligators are NOT predators of humans, they hunt small animals and normally avoid man".

Please tell that to the following:

List of fatal alligator attacks in the United States by decade - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

End of discussion!

At best a dog might be equal to a 3 year old child. Would you allow that child to play near the edge of a pond that a gator lives in? Laws are made to protect us and in this situation to protect those that lack good common sense. The man chose to ignore both the law and common sense and both he and his dog almost paid with their lives.

I agree!