A couple thought that a burglar was in their home when they were awoken in the middle of the night by their dog, only to find a 5ft alligator in their hallway.
Don and Jan Schultz, who had only recently moved from Arizona to New Iberia, Louisiana, said the reptile managed to enter their house via their dog flap, joking that they had got "the full Cajun experience", the Daily Star reports.
The couple told local station KATC that they were asleep when they were awakened by Panda, their seven-year-old Australian cattle dog.
Don said: “Our dog Panda growled a deep throat grumble and woke my wife up and she tapped me said, ‘I think there’s someone in the house'.
"And so I got up headed down the hall to check. I saw the shape of an alligator.”
The reptile apparently climbed into the Schultz residence through the dog flap, and the homeowners called the authorities, summoning Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries officers who arrived at the house and captured the intruder.
A video shot by the Schultzes showed the creature hissing and thrashing about when an officer armed with a catchpole slipped a cable loop around its neck.
“I guess it’s off swimming in a bayou somewhere,” Jan said after the animal was taken away by the experts.
"We are real grateful for the Sheriffs, and Wildlife and Fisheries that came and so thoroughly dispatched the creature from our home and I guess it's off swimming in a bayou somewhere," she added.
Don said that the couple are taking no more chances after their near miss with the gator, explaining that they have bought a door that opens only with their pet's collar to keep away any future “surprise” visitors.
"We are taking precautions and putting a locking dog door in now that only unlocks with the dog's collar, so we won't have this surprise in the future," he said.
