Gators - Pests in Florida, Pets in Louisiana
posted in Americana, Culture |From The Washington Post, Thursday, May 18 2006, Page C01
Yesterday… an alligator walked through the doggy door of a woman's house in Bradenton [Fla] and went for her golden retriever. The woman grabbed a shotgun and blazed away. The alligator escaped with a flesh wound. The neighbors heard shots and called police, who promptly cited the woman for hunting without a license.
Sounds to me like it was the gator that was hunting, and got shot for trespassing.
It's different in Louisiana -
We Louisianans understand this. We treat alligators with respect, and the occasional addition of sauce piquant. Alligator turns up frequently not only at backyard barbecues but on the menus of all the best restaurants in Louisiana.
In Louisiana, we fish with alligators, swim with them, even keep them as pets. We used to have a 14-footer named Ferdinand in the large pond below our house…. But he never hurt anybody.
Here's good advice -
It's good to remember, too, that alligators are particularly fond of dogs. Walking your beloved chihuahua beside a Florida canal is like offering them a taco on a leash.
