Woman's Dog Sacrifices Himself to Save Her From Alligator

[Modem Butterfly]

http://www.wtsp.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=13223

Cindy Hernandez, Dog Killed by Alligator: The only thing that can make any kind of sense out of this is Bob had to go to save me. You know, there was a choice.

Earlier in the day the alligator was heading right for Cindy Hernandez. She was swimming off her dock along the Hillsborough River. Before the alligator reached her, her dog Bob swam in between them. Bob was killed, while Hernandez was able to safely swim to the dock.

[dhinojosa]

1. For once, I would love to say: You posted to the wrong forum.

This is an awesome story. I don't know it it LBN, but wow!

[Modem Butterfly]

3. Part of me feels that this is a great story, part of me is distressed

This is breeding season for alligators in Florida. What was this woman doing swimming in fresh water at this time of year? I feel she put her dog in danger, and I can't approve of that. But I admire Bob's courage and love for his human.

[WI_DEM]

2. why do people go swimming down there?

You hear so much about gator attacks. I'd be petrified to even go into the water around there. What a brave and loving dog that must have been. I hope he has found his reward--wherever and whatever that is.

[Abelman]

4. Let's see a cat do that!

Yeah, you heard me!

[Worst Username Ever]

5. I don't think our chihuahua would sacrifice herself for me.

She'd probably just jump in, thinking me and the nice alligator were playing :P

[GiovanniC]

8. A Chihuahua Wouldn't Fill Up an Alligator Anyway

It would still come get ya.

[xultar]

10. My Chi would save me out of jealousy, he would think that the gator

was playing and get jealous and try to get in on the game.
He's a superhero in his Batman out fit.

[Worst Username Ever]

11. LOL. Cute. Ours would probably just hide.

[xultar]

14. How precious!!! n/t

[BOSSHOG]

6. A 14 foot Alligator was captured today inside the city limits

of Slidell, Louisiana, Northeast of New Orleans. Police say it had been in a canal for about a month and was hibernating. Today's sunny weather got it to moving around. It was captured by police and I suspect taken out in the Bayou.

[lpbk2713]

7. Yet another instance of man screwing up nature.

In its natural habitat a gator will usually avoid man. But this gator was in the Hillsborough River in a densely populated area of Tampa. No doubt some of the residents along the river thought it was cute to feed the gators. When this happens they lose their natural inhibitions and that makes them dangerous. And when a gator attack is reported it has to be hunted down and killed. People know it is against the law in Florida to feed gators but they do it anyway. The consequence of this mindless act is eventually a dog or even a kid is attacked or even killed. People just have to screw around with the natural order of things for their own entertainment.

[NV Whino]

15. What does one feed a 'gator anyway?

The occasional dog?

[Baclava]

16. Gators that associate man with food are the problem.

They have been killing anything that falls in the water for 200 million years...they don't need us ringing the dinner bell for them.

[hfojvt]

9. Tribute to a dog

"The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog. A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer; he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounter with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wing and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens."

Senator George Vest, 1870 from "Watchers" by Dean Koontz

[Modem Butterfly]

12. It's funny, but everytime I read that quote, my monitor gets all wavy

I'm not sure why that is. Maybe I've got some kind of virus.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

13. Years ago, my grandparents had an old dog

who was getting weak and sick, so my grandfather decided to take him to the vet to decide whether he should be put to sleep. On the way to the vet's, my grandfather stopped off to pick up some shoes that he had left to be repaired, leaving the car windows rolled down.

As my grandfather was coming out of the repair shop, two stray dogs appeared and started menacing him. As sick as the dog in the car was, he struggled out of the open window and started threatening the other two dogs. He was bigger, so he was able to drive them off.

Unfortunately, later that afternoon, the vet told my grandfather that the dog was riddled with cancer and would soon be in great pain. My grandfather said that on one hand, he felt like a creep for having the dog who had tried to defend him put to sleep, but on the other hand, he wanted him to die with some dignity.