Daily Gripe

Hello, my name is Stu. Today my gripe is with those who feel that the rules DO NOT apply to them. The dog leash rule - states you must have your pet on a leash and be in control of that pet. A leash could be a rope, a real leash or a shoelace. It helps you keep your animal or dog away from harm and keeps your animal away from other animals that may harm your pet. It also keeps your dog from running at me while I am on my bike causing me to fall and and break a bone. That's another gripe.

A few days ago in the paper a women is shown weeping over the loss of her dog. She is devastated and I understand the pain involved with the loss of a pet. This woman from Tampa lets her little dog run wild and unleashed. Is this a responsible pet owner? NO! Once again the dog could be harmed and so could other animals or people. How many times have I slammed on my brakes when a dog runs in front of my vehicle? How many dead animals have you seen along a highway? Were any of them under complete control of their owner? No. Animals and dogs will be animals and dogs and do stuff they shouldn't.

While this woman is letting her little dog run free and wild in a park near a pond (were in Florida here) you can imagine what happened. Ponds in Florida are filled with gators. Normally they do not bother anyone. Let me tell you if I'm a gator and this tasty little bite comes dashing into my territory - I'm going for it. And that is just what the gator did. Unfortunately for the unsupervised little dog he lost his life. Was it the gator's fault? NO!! Let's put the blame in the correct place. The pet owner did not take responsibility for her dog.

Now, the gator has been captured and most likely will be destroyed. His meat will be sent to some eatery for gator bites and his skin will be made into cowboy boots. All of this because that woman does not follow the rules. I am sorry you lost your dog but take responsibility for the action. Alligators are wild animals - they hunt to eat and are territorial.

We have leash laws for a reason. Obey the rules and stop blaming others.

with deep regrets,

Mr. Pid