"Now they call me dignified just because my face is a bit gray! (1/14/2007)"
| Home:Southwest, FL | [I have a diary!] |
Age: 10 Years Sex: Male Weight: 51-100 lbs
  "Dealing with Thunderstorms!"
 "Ahhhh, I'm OK now!"
"Oooh, is that a lion???"
"Dinner time with Dad!!! Shhhh, don't tell Mom that Dad lets us in the kitchen!"
 "I haven't been feeling well lately - seizures... (12/2008)"
"This is ME at the shelter. I was skeered!"
"Waiting up for Santa Paws tuckered me out. (12/25/2005)"
"I'm 50% Rhodesian Ridgeback, but I'm 100% South African Sofa Hound!"
"Homer's ALLIGATOR - note jaw & mouth size!!! (6/21/07)" [See My DogsterPlus Photo Book] |
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Leave a bone for Homer
Nicknames:
Homey, Home-Boy, Buddy, XO
Doggie Dynamics:
| | | | | | | | | Energy | | | | | | Intelligence | | | | | | Friendliness | | | | | | Playfulness | | | | | | Disposition | | | |
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Quick Bio:
Likes:
Mommy!!! He's a major mama's boy...
Pet-Peeves:
THUNDER!
Favorite Toy:
Stuffed animals, especially hedge hog & duck
Favorite Food:
If its got a calorie, he loves it!
Favorite Walk:
PetSmart because he gets food, toys & treats there!
Best Tricks:
Sits up for treats (sprained his tail twice so its not encouraged, but he copies Bobbi)
Arrival Story:
ADOPTED 5/4/2002, age 3 years: When we moved from the beach to a rural area, Bobbi missed all her beach doggy friends. After trying unsuccessfully to get the softshell turtles in the 1/4 acre pond to play (see her page), we took her to Suncoast Humane Society to choose a sibling from several we found on PetFinder. Bobbi-Girl chose Homer and Homer chose us! They had 2 hours to get to know each other while playing in an outside yard, then in a large cubicle while we completed paperwork. Everyone who came through the doors thought they were raised together, they were so "joined at the hip" already! The staff even took pictures of them peeking over the top of the cubicle wall together. Truly a match made in CyberSpace!!!
Bio:
Homer is mostly red & weighs 73lbs. Poor Homey, the shelter scared him! Luckily, he was only there 4 weeks when Bobbi showed up to take him home with her! His original human folks had provided ALL of his records to the shelter so we know his health history, exact birth date, & his breed cross! They even knew his dog parents, so we are sure of his mix. He is such a SWEET dog - we feel blessed to have found him! Thanks, PetFinder!
Forums Motto:
I'm a good boy!
Dogster Local Spots I've Marked:
 Suburban Animal Hospital, Barkingham Dog Park, Gulf Coast Humane Society, S.P.A.Y.-L.E.E., Inc.
The Groups I'm In:
Uncle Matty
The Last Forum I Posted In:
Spunky Senior Citizens
GATOR TALE, Our Hero!:
At 4:15 AM on June 21, 2007, our youngest pup, Justy, woke me to go potty. She won't go outside by herself in the dark so I turned on the floodlights, as per usual, and the bigger/older dogs went with her. Well, thank God they did! Our back stairs lead directly into their securely fenced yard. I hadn't even gotten the door closed when I heard all of them growling in a very odd way. I looked out there and they were all around what looked to be a rather large animal on the INSIDE of our fenced yard.
I tried calling them - nothing - they were too focused on this animal. I slipped on my shoes and headed down the stairs. 4th step from the bottom I saw that it was an ALLIGATOR!!! Not humongous, but big enough to severely injure or kill one of the dogs!
The dogs all had their necks and heads stretched out even with their backs to get a better look at and smell of this intruder. All were growling deep in their throats, but none were acting like they were going to attack it. Of course, the alligator was in a defensive posture hissing and with mouth wide open so he could snap. He had the fence on one side, Justy in front of him, Bobbi-Girl on his other side, and Homer at his tail.
All of a sudden the alligator lunged at Justy! Before she could react, Homer came from the tail end of that animal and had it by the neck!!! He proceeded to shake him violently just like he does his stuffed animals. Again, I called the dogs by name & command, COME. The girls stepped backwards, but didn't come. They were watching & waiting in case Homer needed them. I think I saw a nanosecond's worth of indecision in Homer's eyes - disobey Mom or deal with this gator. That had to be hard for him because he is always so obedient.
Homer slammed the gator to the ground apparently assuming it had learned its lesson. The gator flipped himself upright and charged at Bobbi-Girl. Old Homer, yes, 8 1/2, charged from behind again, grabbed it by the middle of the tail and swung him around several times. Finally close to the fence, he beat the gator against the chainlink fence several times!
At this point, I came all the way down to the cement landing in hopes of getting the other 2 dogs into the house. Homer, a major mama's boy in all ways, must've caught a glimpse of me. He suddenly slammed the gator to the ground. As it whipped around to attack him, Homer, now perpendicular to the animal, grabbed its torso right behind the front legs and pinned it to the ground. He just held it there, squeezing his jaws ever tighter while pressing him down into the ground - keeping it pinned in one place.
This allowed me to safely grab the girls by the collars and get them into the house. I ran back downstairs to try to save Homer from harm. He still had that animal pinned to the ground! I could hear the armor and/or bones in the gator's torso crunching, but its tail was still swinging wildly off & on and his mouth was still wide open, but there was only intermittent hissing. I grabbed a solid cement block sitting next to the downspout, raised it as high as I could, and slammed it down on top of the gator's jaws while giving Homer the commands, "Drop it, Let's go!". No hesitation this time, Homer did exactly that! He immediately ran right up the stairs with me. However, the alligator flipped that block off its head instantly like it was an empty box!
Now with everyone inside, I looked for any signs of severe bleeding, none. My husband being away for the summer meant calling my next door neighbor at 4:35 AM to help me with this severely injured and angry alligator in my back yard. [Oh my! This had gone on for 20 minutes!] Well, he was done in by the time I met my neighbor downstairs. He dragged it out to a clearing about 50' from the dog's fenced yard where the vultures could find it after sunrise.
I went back inside and checked every square inch of Homer looking for any scratches, puncture wounds, bites - NOTHING, not a hair out of place!!! I gave the girls a thorough exam, too, just in case I missed something. None were injured, but I called our vet as soon as they opened to find out if we had to be concerned since Homer broke the alligator's skin - no worries as long as he didn't sustain a bite or scratch!
At sunrise, I measured the alligator, 3' 4", and took some photos for my husband to see when he gets home.
I called the Florida Fish and Wildlife agent that had been here in April and May about a larger alligator. He said this fella probably weighed about 65lbs at that length. HUH??? Homer is only 73lbs! WOW!
The agent also couldn't imagine how it got inside our fenced yard. He'd inspected our fence when he was here in May to be sure it was secure from gators pushing their way under the fence. This is a new fence that we paid extra to have doubly reinforced to protect wildlife from our dogs and to protect the dogs from wildlife.
So, Homer, the 8 1/2 year old mama's boy with a gray face and one broken lower canine tooth, is truly our hero! He assured my safety and that of the other 2 dogs. He never made a move towards that animal until it lunged at the other dogs.
HOMER MAY BE 1/2 RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK and 1/2 LAB, BUT HE IS 100% GREAT DOG!
More photos in my DogsterPlus Photo Album!
GATOR UPDATE: FWC called to say they figure the alligator climbed our fence into the yard & backed up that hypothesis with an article, Living With Alligators: A Florida Reality, by the University of Florida's ISAS Extension Be sure to see Myth #3!!!
ITS JUST ME, same old Homer!:
Everybody has been making such a big fuss over me since I killed that gator in our backyard. I'm kind of embarrassed by all the of the attention. I just did what any pup would do, tried to save my family! It was all very scary, but we're all OK and that's what matters. I'm not the type to puff up my chest and show off.
I'm still just me, Homer!
I'm a sweet, sensitive kind of guy. I'm also a MAJOR mama's boy, but I love my dad and the rest of the pack, too. I'm still trying to convince Mom that I am a lap dog, its not my fault that her lap is too small! I always aim to please and my folks say I have excellent manners. My first parents trained me very well. But...
(there's always a but, isn't there?)
I always want to be first. If Mom calls one of the other dog's names, I'm the first to arrive! If the door is opened for us, I'm first in line! You get the idea...
My doctor said I had separation anxiety after my first human parents had to take me to the shelter in April 2002. My 1st Mom died and my 1st Dad had to go to a nursing home. I really missed them and I still do down deep in my heart.
Since my current Mom and Dad adopted me in May, 2002, I've learned to console and comfort myself pretty well. I'm reassured with Bobbi-Girl being nearby, too. However, THUNDER still scares the bejesus out of ME! Doesn't it figure that I was born and raised in the lightning capital of the world?!?!
Lee County Animal Services::
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| April 15th 2007 |
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More than 2 years! |
Rosette, Star and Special Gift History
Dogster Id:
521615
 for 932 days
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