Whewww!!! I certainly didn't mean to cause ANY dissension among the folks that post here. I certainly wouldn't use anything posted here as defense in something I might do. I'm not a tree hugger either. I can nail a channel cat to a board, skin it and have it in the frying pan before the head quits moving.
After reading the trappers board post as per otters, I'm now concerned about my pets. I have a pet goose and a labrador retriever that hang out together. Yesterday, the dog was laying on the dam watching the goose eat algae off the stand pipe. I looked up the pond and the otter was watching both the other critters. I've borrowed a large Havahart trap and intend to set it out this evening with a can of sardines for bait. I'll post the results ASAP. If I'm successful in catching this otter, my intentions now are to release it in a water reservoir lake that's about 7 miles from my house. I hope that's far enough to keep it from coming back.
Thanks for all your replies.
Tim