Louisiana Couple Shocked by Alligator Entering Their House Through the Doggy Door

Alligators have become unwanted neighbors for many across the south, often turning up in people's swimming pools and local canals. One couple in Louisiana got a rude awakening when they found a gator inside their house.

Don and Jan Schultz just moved into their home in New Iberia, LA after relocating to the Pelican State from Arizona. While they were sleeping, their 7-year-old Australian cattle dog Panda alerted them to an intruder. But it wasn't a burglar, it was a five-foot alligator making its way through their house.

"Our dog Panda growled a deep throat grumble and woke my wife up and she tapped me and said, 'I think there's someone in the house.' And so I got up headed down the hall to check," Don recounted to local news channel KATC. "I saw the shape of an alligator."

The gator got in through Panda's doggy door. The Schultzes called 911 and officers from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries were able to quickly wrangle and capture the uninvited house guest.

"We are real grateful for the sheriffs and the fish and wildlife [officers] that came and so thoroughly dispatched the creature from our home," Jan told KATC. "I guess it's off swimming in a bayou somewhere."

The couple is taking extra steps to ensure something like this never happens again. This includes replacing their old doggy door with a new one that only opens when Panda approaches it. "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," Don explained.

It was a scary close call, but the Schultzes are able to look back on it now and laugh. "It was quite an experience," Don smiled. "We're getting the full Cajun experience."