I used to have the chore of walking my family’s small dog every day before dinner. We lived in the suburbs near Miami, and it was a pretty safe area. I was told early on that it was common knowledge to keep an eye on the water, since even in residential areas, alligators and large snakes often hid in fountains and ponds and regularly attacked or ate small animals and children.

I’m sure some of that was just to scare me, but I did see alligators and snakes a good number of times, so that part was true.