Alligator Uses Doggy Door to Enter Home

Occurred on July 7, 2024 / Florida, USA

Info from Licensor: "Last week, we got our yard fenced and my husband installed a doggy door so our two senior pups could enjoy the backyard whenever they want. A week passed with no issues. On Sunday evening, 7/7/24, I walked out of our room to go through the kitchen and I saw a big dark spot on the floor (didn’t have my glasses on) a few feet in front of me and paused and then I heard a hiss. I realized what it was and shrieked, then turned to run back to our room and shut the door as our two dogs were in there. I then came back out, hopped on the counter, and called for Tom, who was upstairs playing video games. He had never heard me say his name like that so he came down quickly and asked what happened, and I told him there was an alligator. He asked if it was on the porch and I yelled… 'No, it’s in the kitchen!' We then tried to calm down from the shock and then called the non-emergency line. They sent an officer out but it took a while so we took a few pictures and videos (from a safe distance) while waiting for the officer. We had been waiting almost an hour when we decided to open the door to the garage and both garage doors and try to push him out with a rake and a very large box to block us. Instead of going straight and walking out the door that was less than 2 feet from him, he turned left and walked through our dogs' water and food and cornered himself in the laundry room. We then shut the door and waited for the officer. The first one finally arrived and then we ended up having 5 officers show up because none of them had ever had a call like this one. None of them felt comfortable to remove it and they weren’t trained so they called a professional trapper who came out and removed him."