Worried about living on canal with child and dog... (Cape Coral: neighborhoods, school)

[QuilterChick]

Originally Posted by rikoshaprl

"Because they have a low tolerance for salt, the majority of alligators inhabit freshwater. They can only handle being exposed to salt water for a small length of time"
Alligator Habitat | Where Do Alligators Live?
Worried about an alligator jumping out of a sea walled canal AND over a 3 foot fence? Lightning striking you in SW Florida is much more of a concern.

Alligators are definitely found in salt water in "brackish" water which is a mix of salt water and fresh water. And rivers, and lakes. Some of them come through the culverts. We've even had them come into our pool at the club via brackish water. They are in canals !

[Samiamnh]

Originally Posted by QuilterChick

Alligators are definitely found in salt water in "brackish" water which is a mix of salt water and fresh water. And rivers, and lakes. Some of them come through the culverts. We've even had them come into our pool at the club via brackish water. They are in canals !

Not that I don't believe you....just saying that we live in SE and boat a lot,as do many of our neighbors.We've explored canals all the way down the Rubicon canal to CC Parkway and as far east as Hancock and spurs going to the river and none of us have ever seen a gator in10 years.
Seen them on the Orange river but there are no sea walls there.

[don1945]

Originally Posted by Samiamnh

I have lived on a salt water canal for 10 years and have never seen an alligator.They cannot climb the sea walls to make nests and spawn.Iguana's, otters,maybe an occasional manatee,but no gators.
If you listen to all the naysayers,you'd never leave the house.
I would install a fence to enclose the back yard to the sea wall,teach your child to swim as soon as possible, take normal precautions and then enjoy your boat,pool and the beautiful SW Florida weather.
BTW,most alarm systems will beep every time a door or window is opened which is an extra safety measure when kids are around.....that and an inexpensive floating pool alarm should give you peace of mind.
Most streets on canels end in cul de sacs and are very safe.......I'd go for it.

If you haven't seen them, you aren't looking ! We lived in about the saltiest part of Cape Coral, right off the Caloosahatche River, and we had gators AND sharks. Gators don't get to salt water and say " Whoops, can't go there !!"

Don

alligator attacks in cape coral canal - Bing Videos

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...CE2F3BDA33B540

And they LOVE dogs !!!!!

Gator attacks two dogs in Cape Coral

Posted: Mar 06, 2014 11:04 PM EDT Updated: Mar 06, 2014 11:33 PM EDT By Christy Andrews - email








CAPE CORAL, FL - A Cape Coral man says a 7-foot alligator seriously hurt his two dogs in his own front yard.
His dogs – Ollie and Honey – are recovering from the brutal fight.
"It sounded like a dog screaming at the top of their lungs for their life," the dogs' owner James Scheible said.
Scheible says he woke up to that sound.
When he went outside, he found the dogs underneath a trailer in the front yard fighting with the gator.
"My pit bull was on top of the gator pinning [it] down trying to save his sister," Scheible said.
Scheible says he called police, but thought his dogs wouldn't make it.
"I thought for sure she was dead," Scheible said. "Possibly eaten or suffocated."
Scheible says Ollie had to have her tongue sewed back on while Honey needed staples in her head to stop it from bleeding.
Neighbors say the gator sighting is a rare for their quiet Cape Coral neighborhood.
Scheible thinks the gator came from the abandoned golf course at the end of Palm Tree Road. He says he contacted the Mayor's office, but was told the city doesn't own the property.
Scheible wants something done before another hungry animal makes it's way to their neighborhood again.
"He was looking for dinner," Scheible said. "[If] he had decided to make this his home for the night he could've woken up and had my two year old instead."
Officials warn gators are very active at this time of year. They say homeowners should watch any small pets and children.

[jambo101]

While those seawalls will probably keep gators and snakes out of your back yard they make it almost impossible for a dog or child to climb out of the water if they accidentally fall in..

[QuilterChick]

Originally Posted by Samiamnh

Not that I don't believe you....just saying that we live in SE and boat a lot,as do many of our neighbors.We've explored canals all the way down the Rubicon canal to CC Parkway and as far east as Hancock and spurs going to the river and none of us have ever seen a gator in10 years.
Seen them on the Orange river but there are no sea walls there.

Cape Coral is in SW Florida where they are more common I believe. In various subdivisions and condo complexes near lakes, rivers, canals etc., many clueless grandparents visit and I've seen them bring fishing poles and a bait bucket for the kiddoes. Some of my neighbors are always running out there to shoo them off the edge of the seawall. And the gators don't necessarily have to be in the water, they hide in the shrubs sometimes. I came out my front door one morning to grab the newspaper, and there he was! Huge big toothy grin, smiling right at me. We called animal control and they taped him and "relocated him". Tell me how to post a pic and I'll attach it.

[njkate]

Originally Posted by QuilterChick

Cape Coral is in SW Florida where they are more common I believe. In various subdivisions and condo complexes near lakes, rivers, canals etc., many clueless grandparents visit and I've seen them bring fishing poles and a bait bucket for the kiddoes. Some of my neighbors are always running out there to shoo them off the edge of the seawall. And the gators don't necessarily have to be in the water, they hide in the shrubs sometimes. I came out my front door one morning to grab the newspaper, and there he was! Huge big toothy grin, smiling right at me. We called animal control and they taped him and "relocated him". Tell me how to post a pic and I'll attach it.

I'm sorry but that just gave me a big ole chuckle

Whenever there is wild life you need to be aware and respectful of it.....I'm in NW Jersey I have the big ole black bears running around

[QuilterChick]

Originally Posted by njkate

I'm sorry but that just gave me a big ole chuckle

Whenever there is wild life you need to be aware and respectful of it.....I'm in NW Jersey I have the big ole black bears running around

That is so true, and many people just plow ahead and think they're "cute" or they want to take a picture. We have some fluffy big black bears here in the mountains too. But bears are afraid of people for the most part. Signs around: Do NOT Feed the Bears. Same thing in FL: Do NOT feed the alligators. Animal control in FL is really busy though. They didn't show up for Al E. Gator near my condo, so they sent out a squad car with two officers in it. We waited over 2 hrs. for a/control to get there, and when they still didn't show up ... the officers put it in a body bag and threw it in the back of the pickup. That was a small one, only about 7 feet long, but he was definitely a big mouth.

[don1945]

Here is another aspect. While it is romantic and great to live on the water, you will pay dearly for that privilege, and I am not talking about the initial purchase price. Taxes are higher, insurance is higher, maintenance is higher, and seawalls do not last forever. They have a certain life expectancy and when they start to buckle or disintegrate you are facing a big repair bill. And, the city will not let you neglect that repair, they will force you do have it done immediately.

We too thought it would be so cool to have our boat right behind the house so we could just jump on it and go out anytime we wanted, but the reality is, it doesn't quite work out that way. Lifts require maintenance and boats do not stay ready-to-use-clean when sitting over or on the water. I was forever cleaning huge water spiders and their webs off of mine.

Then there are hurricanes. I watched my 29 footer rock and roll in the middle of our canal where I had tethered it with 4 big anchors during Hurricane Charlie. I thought that at any minute it would break loose and careen down the canal or sink. Luckily, I only lost canvas.

You can also not leave anything removable on your dock or boat because people come up the canals at night and remove those things, even stainless props. I have had two customers in the past week who lost all their fishing gear because they came in and left it on the boat until the next morning, but it was gone.

Not trying to put a damper on anyone's plans, just laying out the realities of living on the water.

Don

[nhkev]

based on your post those videos are of a fresh water canal and the story of the dogs was again related to fresh water. Add me to the list of people that boat all through the NW spreader and Matlacha pass and have never seen a gator. Not that it can't happen but even your article said alligators are rare. I can only think of two instances from memory of alligator attacks in Lee county. One was an old woman on Sanibel island, the other was a teenage girl swimming in a lake near the hospital.

and no alligators do not hit salt water and say I can't be in here but they typically don't stay there long.
Salt water crocs on the other hand.....

[convextech]

True story: B.O.A.T. = Bust Out Another Thousand