"It's a smile only a mother could love," said Mike Swank about his pet alligator
Mike actually owns two alligators who are now over 3-feet long. They will grow to be at least 12 to 14 feet long. Born in captivity, they like to be held and touched.
"Look how vicious this alligator is," said Mike. "It could take off a finger or two if it wanted to."
However, Sean Trimbach said people need to respect wild animals for what they are.
"The fact of the matter is they get too large. They are not a house pet," said Trimbach, an exotic animal owner and dealer in Clark County.
He knows all too well what can happen after he nearly lost his entire finger after a snake bite six years ago.
Trimbach now has 300 deadly snakes. He also bought a bear, which he hopes to breed one day.
"My animals are contained very well. The caging in USDA inspected," Trimbach said. "She will not leave the property alive, absolutely."
Since Terry Thompson released dozens of wild animals in Zanesville before taking his own life, some people want a state ban against private ownership.
"You shouldn't have dangerous, exotic animals in private ownership, period," said Tim Harrison of the Animal Resource Center. Harrison, a former Oakwood Police Officer, now rescues wild animals.
Harrison said he has rescued numerous wild animals that escaped from their owners including a mountain lion that was running loose in downtown Dayton, an alligator found in a local creek, and a big snake that broke out of a glass cage in his owner's Fairborn home.
Right now, Harrison believes a black panther is on the loose in Montgomery County.
Clark County authorities are investigating 14 documented sightings of a black panther. The Sheriff is also trying to identify all exotic animal owners in his area.
Sheriff Gene Kelly said, "It's been eye opening to say the least, the number of people who have alligators, monkeys, poisonous snakes, bears, within Clark County."
Sean Trimbach is worried about a possible new law banning private ownership of exotic animals. He said he may have to take his business and his animals out of Ohio.
"If they do shut down this industry in the state, it will affect us incredibly heavy. This business is a big source of the income for my family."
Mike Swank's alligators are leaving Ohio and the Dayton area very soon.
Since they are getting too big to keep at home, they will be going to a reserve called "Alligator Adventure."
Mike said they will be basking in the Florida sunshine before the first snowfall.