Man's Dog "FiFi" Eaten By 8-Foot Alligator

[matcom]

<snip>

LARGO - FiFi and Cassidy romped through Ridgecrest Park on Sunday afternoon with their owner, Al Clark.

Cassidy, a brown-and-white Shih Tzu led the way while the pup's 8-year-old mother FiFi, a black-and-white miniature Shih Tzu, trailed behind. Clark had removed their leashes when they arrived.

Around 5:30 p.m., the three made their second lap around the freshwater lake, just about 3 feet from the shore. But as they approached the pier, Clark heard a rustle behind him.

He turned to see FiFi, his 10-pound dog, in the jaws of an 8-foot alligator. Cassidy charged toward it, but Clark scooped him up just in time. They could only watch as the gator slipped back into the rippling waters and across the lake.

"I just can't describe how fast it was," Clark said Monday.

He put Cassidy in his car and ran around the lake, looking for something with which to strike the alligator.

"I decided I'd go over and meet him," said Clark, a retired Army Airborne reservist and Vietnam War veteran.

But when Clark caught another glimpse of the gator, he knew it was too big to tackle on his own.

"If I'd had a gun I would have shot him," Clark said.

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/06/27/Northpinellas/Alligator_snatches_up.shtml

[LibertyLover]

1. A minature shih tzu?

What? The regular sized ones aren't small enough? Actually, I'm sorry to hear that the dog was taken - I wouldn't wish that on any dog, well except maybe the bichon that belongs to one of our neighbors.

[u4ic]

3. That was my first thought, too! Mini?

Perhaps the alligator inhaled rather than ate him?

Poor dog.

[chaska]

2. My parents used to live on the bay (I forget the name) in Georgetown...

SC. They had alligators in their yard constantly. I was always worried about them and the dogs. I was always telling them to put them dogs on leashes and to stay away from the water for this very reason. I've kayaked (hell, even swum) with alligators. They are scary critters.

[Richardo]

4. That's almost verbatim from a Carl Hiaasen novel...

.."Tourist Season" I think.

[GumboYaYa]

5. I grew up with a bayou for my front yard.

I never got too attached to any pets. They had to be pretty quick and smart to avoid the gators for that long.

[zonkers]

6. Irresponsible pet owner. With all the hubub in FL about restless gators,

you dont do laps around a pond. Sheesh.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

7. That's a shame...

Poor Fifi. :cry:
The idiot owner should have kept the dogs leashed. The alligator was just doing what came naturally.

[Initech]

8. More curious: Why would a guy willfully name his dog "Fifi"?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

9. This is why you don't buy tiny dogs named Fifi.

If I was a little dog named Fifi, I'd probably feed myself to the alligator out of embarassment.

[Arugula Latte]

10. That's got to be one of the most terrifying ways to go.

Poor Fifi. I hope it was quick.