Worried about living on canal with child and dog... (Cape Coral: real estate, crime rates)

[Meemur]

I'm not from FL, but in MI I spent summers at the lake, and we and other families with toddlers and dogs lived along a canal. Granted, there were no gaters! But drowning was on everyone's mind.

Children were taught to float early on and were tossed into the water (with others there) and shown what to do. Many were floating and dog-paddling by age 4. Many wore life jackets or those inflatable arm floats (probably no longer available) when around the docks, even if they weren't swimming until they had been tossed in a few times and proved they could dog-paddle well enough to get to shore.

Young puppies were also introduced to the water under supervision, but most knew how to swim immediately.

No one drowned back then in my neighborhood.

Now, parents build fences around the yards and don't let their children near the water, so if they do get out and fall in, they are goners because no one insisted that they learn to swim.

That would scare me more than the gaters.

[Kim in FL]

Originally Posted by QuilterChick

So you would put a large water dog, a Lab, on a tether/chain helplessly out in a yard on a canal. ??
Are you serious !

can't do that anymore..it's against the law in lee county to tie your dogs out...and it's about friggin time!

[QuilterChick]

Originally Posted by Kim in FL

can't do that anymore..it's against the law in lee county to tie your dogs out...and it's about friggin time!

Yes it is, good to hear !

[Ohky0815]

I would get a fence. You can have a nice pretty fence that offers protection for the child and dog.

[jambo101]

If you do leave the dog outside make sure he has a shady place to go with plenty of water.

[Corrie10]

Although I wasn't initially thrilled with all the responses, I have enjoyed reading all the responses.

I totally agree that gators are in canals. My grandparents lived on a saltwater canal close to the yacht club and they occasionally saw gators. Other family lives by tarpon point and haven't seen one yet. Then you have my Dad that lives on a freshwater and sees them daily. So no argument that they are in canals!

But have they/can they really get over a seawall? Not being sarcastic at all, I have just never heard of that.

To be safe, I called our realtor today just to make sure that all the houses we look at allow physical fences to go right up against the seawall. I don't think any neighborhoods have specific restrictions, but I just want to be sure. We will also install an invisible fence along that fence for extra protection for our dog. I will never let my kid out or arms reach and will always be outside with our dog, but just in case anything happens we will install a ladder in case we ever need to jump in and get out.

A couple folks mentioned sharks. We have caught countless sharks just feet from shore so I have no doubt they are in many of the canals. While I love being ON the water, I don't love being IN the water based on what we've caught!

Someone mentioned the cost of living on the water with a boat. Totally get where you're coming from. We've been "researching" this for years and my entire family lives in the Cape so we've been warned. Living that kind of lifestyle is costly but living in Ohio just plain sucks. If we were not financial prepared to do this, it would not even be a consideration.

I look at it like this. Spending 8 months of the year trapped inside is not fun. I've been visiting the Cape, Ft. Myers and the Keys several times a year for 30 years and this is the right time for us to give it a shot. If it doesn't work out, we're still pretty young and can make a move somewhere else.

As for the new law that dogs can't be tied up outside, I agree, it's about time! I would NEVER tie my dog outside, whether it be Ohio or Florida. And with the FL heat she will never be locked outside.

[don1945]

Even though I have been one of the people pointing out things that might not be so good about it, the fact is, we still live here and love it. I'm like you, lived in Pa for years and never want to see cold weather or that white stuff again ! The Cape offers the best bang for your buck and the most available waterfront property because of it's miles and miles of canals.

We lived on the Cape from 85 to about 06 and never regretted it. You will probably like it just as much. I just wanted to point out some things a lot of people don't consider, but it looks like you have done your homework.

Don

[Kim in FL]

You'd be surprised what gators can do..yes, they can climb a chain link fence...yes, they can climb up the banks of the canal..yes, they can also get on the seawall if there's something there for them to get up on from the water.

Should you not move here because of gators? No..you have bigger things to worry about like the crappy school system, the grow house next door, or the heroin house next door, or the gang house next door, or the brown recluse spider, or the number of poisonous snacks we have or the number of thugs we have walking the streets. Oh, and the latest...two idiot kids throwing crap into the road to cause car accidents....smh.

[jambo101]

Some pics on just how agile gators can be.
https://www.google.ca/search?q=allig...iw=768&bih=484

[Cynthia130]

Can you elaborate about the " crappy school system" ?????
Heroin is an issue? Gangs? Strong activity in Cape Coral???
HELP