If there’s one thing you know if you grow up in the Everglades, it’s that alligators don’t make good pets. Sure, they start off small and cute-like, but they grow. They grow quick. And they ain’t like dogs or cats: they ain’t got one bit of respect for the hand that feeds ’em.
We know all about gators. They’re like the Henshaw boys. You don’t feed ’em, you don’t badger ’em, and if you wanna keep ’em off your land, you best put up a tall fence ’cause boy howdy, can the young ones climb. Course we know about gators. But sometimes all the knowin’ in the world don’t stop a body from doin’ what’s fool-crazy.