CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – George Woods was home in Coral Springs when he heard Freckles, his dog, was barking nonstop just before dawn.
Coral Springs residents are about a two-hour walk away from the Everglades Wildlife Management Area. This is why it's not unusual for alligators to come knocking.
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Woods said he wasn't expecting a 7-foot, 8-inch gator to be three feet away from his door.
"It really wasn't a sense of fright," he said. "It was more like a shock."
Woods called police, who summoned the Gator Boys professional trappers. It took them about six minutes to secure the gator.
Woods felt grateful for Freckles and hailed him a hero. Without his warning, his wife could have been the one to stumble upon the creature in the dark after work.