We have a 15 acre pond and our gyp was always obsessed with turtles. I finally got her to leave them alone after learning of the
salmonella. She also loves baying and catching alligators.
You are a braver man than I by letting your dog play with it. I was grabbing dogs as fast as I could so they didn't come back missing body parts. I had a bad run in with a gator last deer season so I guess I'm a little more cautious now. The poor dog didn't make it...