#213 Is Wildlife Worry Smart or Paranoid?

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Have you ever found yourself second-guessing vacation plans because of wildlife concerns? You're not alone. In this thoughtful exploration of pet safety during travel, I dive into the real considerations that ultimately changed my summer vacation plans completely.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
So tell me, was I being smart or just paranoid?
So I was planning a summervacation and I really wanted to
rent a cabin in the Tennesseemountains, but I hesitated
because of one thing bears.
And then, when I thought aboutFlorida as an option, I had the

(00:27):
same sort of concern alligators.
When you travel with your dog,you're not just thinking about
your safety but you're thinkingabout theirs, and sometimes that
little voice in your headsaying yeah, I don't know, is
this a good idea?
Is worth listening to.
So take the Tennessee mountains.

(00:50):
Black bears are all over theSmokies and most of the time
they want nothing to do with us.
But dogs can complicate things.
Even on leash, a dog barking orpulling could make a bear feel
threatened.
And once a bear feelsthreatened, things can escalate
quickly.
Now I know people who livethere will tell you it's

(01:14):
manageable if you keep your dogon leash and if you don't leave
food outside and maybe choose acabin with a fenced yard and
lots of people bring their dogsand never have a problem.
But the real question was wouldI relax on that trip or would I
be tense every time I took mydog out for a potty break?

(01:37):
And then there's Florida.
Alligators are everywhere Lakes, ponds, canals are everywhere
Lakes, ponds, canals, evenlittle retention ponds in
neighborhoods.
And unlike bears, who usuallykeep their distance, an
alligator might see a small ormedium dog as food if that dog

(01:58):
is hanging out near the water'sedge.
And so that's why locals followthat one golden rule no dogs
near the water ever Stick tosidewalks and dog parks or
fenced yards and you're fine.
But if you're not used to it,it might be easy to not be

(02:19):
paying attention and before youknow it end up beside a small
pond, and that's where troublecould happen.
So is it smart or paranoid toworry about bears and gators?
I decided it was smart.
It was no different thandeciding not to let my dog off

(02:40):
leash near a busy road.
If the risk felt like it wasgoing to keep me from enjoying
my trip, it was okay to changemy plans, which I did.
I ended up getting a beachrental in North Carolina.
But the bottom line is,thinking through these things

(03:00):
isn't overreacting.
It's part of being aresponsible dog owner.
You know, if I'm at ease on myvacation, my dog will be at ease
, and then everyone will enjoythe vacation a little bit more.