Merrit Island critter ping!
Oh yeah! We crossed paths with an adolescent gator on our daily walks along S Courtenay Pkwy. They would float in from one of the rivers via the canals and drainage areas. It is an island and we had plenty of "wildlife" to interact with. Nothing as dramatic as that one...
Our purebred Haitian Street Dog was good about alerting us to interlopers...when she wanted to.