Now THIS guy loves his pet! (from Fark.com)

[Crebain]

Gator bites dog, man stabs gator
From correspondents in Gainesville, Florida
August 27, 2004

A US man jumped in a pond and stabbed a 1.8m alligator with a pocket knife to force the reptile to release his dog from its jaws.
Matthew Goff, 29, said he was walking Sugar, a tan-coloured bloodhound/Shar-Pei mix, in a park when the attack occurred Wednesday evening. The unleashed dog wandered to the edge of the pond and the gator grabbed its head.

"I couldn't stand by and watch it happen and I had the pocketknife so I decided to try and save her," Mr Goff said.

The gator released Sugar when Goff stabbed the reptile in the eye. The dog then ran home, escaping with three teeth marks on and about her head. Goff had a few scratches.

A state trapper planned to kill the gator if it was found.

[BirdzRmylife]

Originally Posted by Crebain

The gator released Sugar when Goff stabbed the reptile in the eye. .

UM, EWWWWWWWWWWW!!! :shot:

Once again, a innocent piece of wildlife going to be destroyed because of its own instinct. The owner is totally at fault!!!

[LtlWngdAngl]

I don't know Birdz, if a dog had my parrot in his jaws, I'd kill the dog to if it would save my bird! I couldn't have stood by and watched it happen, or live peacefully knowing that that creature that attacked my bird was still around. It's all really "6 one way, half dozen the other."

[BirdzRmylife]

Well if ya put it that way...lol...Ok I too would smack any animal that had my fid in its mouth.

Ya got me

[TooLover]

Wow - so many pros and cons to this. I, personally, believe in natural instinct of animals, reptiles, any living breathing thing. There is a reason that there are leash laws, and the dog should have been leashed.
A state trapper planned to kill the gator if it was found.
Why? Let's see - we are in Florida, gators are in Florida....... explains why we have such a long list of extinct or protected animals, etc. in this state.

[Crebain]

If I lived in Fla., I would be VERY in favor of having the state kill any alligator that posed a threat to my health or that of my kids, and/or pets.

[LtlWngdAngl]

I second what Crebain said.

[Tiki]

Actually in Australia snakes are protected by law (God only knows why) but if one came anywhere NEAR my FIDS I would chop it with a shovel. I would kill anything that was a threat to my FIDS. Seriously!

[BirdzRmylife]

Tiki thats terrible,lol!
I don't see how you people can be so violent about the poor slithery snakes! Their adorable!!!

I'm glad that the snakes are protected.

Now, I would KILL/Injure severely an animal if it had ahold of one of my pets.

But, I disagree with Phil and his killing rampage of animals who pose a threat to him, his animals, or whoever. Its called relocating!!! But, that being said if it was a severe case such as a giant grizzly biting my leg off, more power too em shoot that dang bear.

In saying that you'd kill an alligator if it harmed you,...would you do the same if a cockatoo harmed you? I don't think so... its all in your state of mind, and how you feel about the environment and the animals around you.

Its an interesting topic,
Steven

[Lynjupiter]

Actually gators that are menaces around housing developments are a mence because people feed them believe it or not. They start associating people with food. We have lost a few children here that have been walking on a ponds edge to gators. They have to be killed because they keep coming back if transported and will walk for miles.

In the end yes it is people's fault but the gator HAS to be killed. First it is a dog, next it is a four year old kid.

Gators favorite food? Marshmallows!

Lynda