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Pet Friendly Florida
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Florida Wildlife and Pets

Alligators, snakes, cane toads, bears, big cats, invasive reptiles and Florida's wild monkeys - what each one means for a dog, and what to do.

Florida wildlife a travelling dog can actually run into, species by species: what the risk really is, how to prevent an encounter, and what to do when one happens anyway.

Most visitors never meet most of this. Florida is a big state and its wildlife changes a lot from region to region - a cane toad is a South Florida backyard problem, a black bear is a central and north Florida one, and a crocodile only matters in the far south. These guides are here for the encounter you do have, not because one is likely.

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Complete Guide Florida Wildlife With Pets: The Complete Guide Every major Florida wildlife hazard, and the rules that cover all of them Emergency Checklist Florida Wildlife Emergency Checklist for Pet Travelers The one page to save on your phone before the trip Where to Watch Best Pet-Friendly Places to Watch Wildlife in Florida Parks where a leashed dog can actually come along Strange Animals Strange Animals You Might See on a Florida Vacation The "what IS that?" page Why So Many Exotics Why Florida Has So Many Exotic Animals Escaped and released pets, and a climate that lets them stay

Alligators and crocodiles

Alligators Alligators and Dogs in Florida: Safety Guide All 67 counties, roughly 1.3 million of them Alligator Encounter What to Do if Your Dog Encounters an Alligator in Florida The step-by-step for the moment it happens Crocodiles Crocodiles and Dogs in South Florida: Safety Guide The only US state with wild crocodiles - and the only place both species overlap

Snakes

Venomous Snakes Venomous Snakes of Florida: Pet Owner Guide Six native species - and the folk remedies that waste the time that matters Cottonmouths Cottonmouths and Dogs in Florida: Safety Guide The water-edge snake - and the reason to stay back from the edge anyway Diamondbacks Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes and Dogs in Florida They can swim, and they do not always rattle Coral Snakes Coral Snakes and Pets in Florida: Safety Guide Symptoms can be hours late - do not wait for swelling Pygmy Rattlesnakes Pygmy Rattlesnakes and Dogs in Florida Small enough to miss entirely, with a rattle you may never hear Snakebite Emergency What to Do if Your Dog Is Bitten by a Snake in Florida Speed matters more than anything you can do on the spot

Cane toads

Cane Toads Cane Toads and Dogs in Florida: One of the State’s Biggest Backyard Pet Dangers A suburban back-garden hazard, not a wilderness one Bufo Poisoning Bufo Toad Poisoning in Dogs: What to Do The emergency page - wipe, rinse outward, call the vet Cane Toad Emergency What to Do if Your Dog Eats or Bites a Cane Toad in Florida Wipe, rinse outward for 15 minutes, call the vet

Mammals

Coyotes Coyotes in Florida Neighborhoods: Pet Safety Guide Documented in all 67 counties, including built-up suburbs Bobcats Bobcats and Small Pets in Florida A neighbour you rarely see - smaller ranges in suburbs, not larger Panthers Florida Panthers and Pets: Safety Guide Endangered, rare, and a reason for a roofed enclosure in the southwest Black Bears Black Bears and Dogs in Florida: Safety Guide Food conditioning is the real problem, and the dog is the escalation Wild Hogs Wild Hogs and Dogs in Florida: Safety Guide Pseudorabies is always fatal in dogs and has no vaccine Raccoons Raccoons, Rabies and Pets in Florida Keep the rabies shot current and the bins shut Armadillos Armadillos and Dogs in Florida Do not use the dog as pest control - and avoid the roadkill River Otters River Otters and Pets in Florida Playful-looking, strong-jawed, and best watched from the bank Key Deer Key Deer and Dogs in Florida Endangered, tiny, and only in the Lower Keys Wild Turkeys Wild Turkeys and Dogs in Florida Osceola turkeys, and a bird that will stand its ground Wild Horses Florida’s Wild Horses and Dogs Paynes Prairie - give them a very wide berth

Invasive reptiles

Burmese Pythons Burmese Pythons and Pets in Florida: What Owners Should Know Established from Lake Okeechobee to Key Largo Large Constrictors Boas, Pythons and Other Large Constrictors in Florida: Pet Owner Guide Reticulated pythons and anacondas are reported but not established Iguanas Iguanas and Pets in Florida: What Dog and Cat Owners Should Know The chase is the danger, not the iguana Nile Monitors Nile Monitors and Pets in Florida Large, fast, and established around Cape Coral canals Tegus Argentine Black and White Tegus and Pets in Florida Ground-dwelling, strong-jawed, and spreading

Wild monkeys

Wild Monkeys Wild Monkeys in Florida: What Pet Owners Should Know Yes, really - and no, it was not the Tarzan film Rhesus Macaques Rhesus Macaques at Silver Springs: What Pet Owners Should Know Released in the 1930s for tourism, and still there Vervet Monkeys Vervet Monkeys in South Florida: What Pet Owners Should Know About 40 animals near Dania Beach, from a 1948 escape

Marine mammals

Manatees Manatees and Dogs in Florida: Pet Safety and Wildlife Etiquette Protected by three separate laws - and easily disturbed in winter Dolphins Dolphins and Dogs in Florida: What Pet Owners Should Know NOAA says 50 yards - that applies to the dog too

In the water

Sharks Sharks and Dogs at Florida Beaches: What Pet Owners Should Know FWC is unusually blunt: do not let pets in the water Jellyfish Jellyfish, Portuguese Man o’ War and Dogs at Florida Beaches A stranded tentacle still stings - and the purple flag means it Stingrays Stingrays and Dogs at Florida Beaches: Safety Guide Dogs cannot do the stingray shuffle Red Tide Red Tide and Dogs in Florida Not just a smell - brevetoxins affect animals too Blue-Green Algae Blue-Green Algae and Dogs in Florida The freshwater one - and boiling does not make it safe Dead Fish What to Do if Your Dog Eats a Dead Fish in Florida The problem is not knowing what else came with it Saltwater Poisoning Saltwater Poisoning in Dogs at Florida Beaches The fetch game is usually how it happens Sand Impaction Sand Impaction in Dogs at Florida Beaches A sandy tennis ball is the usual culprit

Nesting wildlife

Sea Turtles Sea Turtles and Dogs on Florida Beaches Fill the holes your dog digs - they trap hatchlings Shorebirds Shorebirds, Nesting Season and Dogs on Florida Beaches A leashed dog still reads as a predator Nesting Calendar Shorebird Nesting Season by Florida Coast Not one statewide date - FWC publishes it by county Birds Florida Birds Dogs Should Never Chase Sandhill cranes and herons will fight back

Birds

Birdwatching Florida Birdwatching With a Dog The dog should never become part of the birdwatching event Herons Great Blue Herons and Dogs in Florida Four feet tall with a bill built for spearing Pelicans Pelicans and Pets in Florida Bold around piers, and often already tangled in line Sandhill Cranes Sandhill Cranes and Pets in Florida State-Threatened, four feet tall, and illegal to feed Spoonbills Roseate Spoonbills and Dogs in Florida State-Threatened, and not the flamingo people think it is Flamingos Flamingos in Florida: Wild or Escaped? FWC treats them as native - the old escapee story is too simple Bald Eagles Bald Eagles in Florida and Dogs One of the largest populations in the lower 48 Ospreys Ospreys: Florida’s Fishing Hawks and Dogs Where birding and fishing hazards overlap most Burrowing Owls Burrowing Owls and Dogs in Florida Ground-nesting, and a digging dog is the whole problem Scrub-Jays Florida Scrub-Jays and Dogs Florida's only endemic bird, and federally protected

Nonnative birds and escapees

Feral Roundup Florida’s Feral Parrots, Peacocks and Monkeys The whole escaped-pet menagerie in one place Wild Parrots Wild Parrots in Florida and Dogs Escapees turned residents, nesting on utility poles Peacocks Peacocks in Florida Neighborhoods and Dogs Spurs, strong legs, and a very local legal position Muscovy Ducks Muscovy Ducks and Dogs in Florida The retention pond is more dangerous than the duck Feral Chickens Feral Chickens and Dogs in Florida Key West is famous for them, and dogs chase them into traffic Land Snails Giant African Land Snails and Pets in Florida Rat lungworm - never let a dog mouth one

Insects and parasites

Fire Ants Fire Ants and Pets in Florida: Safety Guide Florida's sandy soil hides the mounds Mosquitoes Florida Mosquitoes and Pets: What Dog and Cat Owners Should Know Heartworm is the reason - and prevention is year-round here Ticks Ticks in Florida: Pet Owner Guide A two-minute check after a hike prevents most of it