Has anyone heard of a gator snatching a dog off a Paddleboard yet? River SUPs with dogs on board are becoming a new trend in Florida. It seems like the chances of a Gator-Dog-SUP encounter are going up.
I hope we never hear of one. I'd never consider taking my dog out on a SUP on a river.
This sign is enough for me.
I'd be tempted to take my neighbor's dog out. That thing barks whenever a blade of grass twitches. Lady is up all night, sleeps all day so I will walk by her fence on my way to work and get the dog yapping, which wakes her up.
If the gator can grab the dog, then the gator can grab the paddler. :o I wouldn't go near water where alligators have been sighted without some type of weapon handy.
I've never heard of a gator going after someone or some animal on a boat or board, although it's been a while since I lived there. They're mostly water stalkers and ambush hunters, so I think something on the board is not where it would naturally hunt.
However, if the dog (or person) is in the water, that's another story.
I might pose that question to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Those guys are experts in this sort of thing, which I am not:
http://myfwc.com (http://myfwc.com)