One Louisiana couple got an unwanted new pet after an alligator invaded their home by slipping through the dog flap.
The family were alerted to the reptilian invader after their actual dog started growling and alerted them to the presence of the five foot long alligator in their home.
NBC reports that Donald and Jan Schultz were woken in the middle of the night on 24 June and thought their dog was agitated because there was a cat in the back yard or something.
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Instead it was an altogether different animal and rather than being stuck outside it had crawled its way into their home via the dog flap.
When the dog kept growling and they heard a thumping noise, the couple realised that whatever had their poor pooch on edge was inside the home.
Confronting the invader, Donald came face to face with a five foot long alligator hanging out in his hallway, the sight of it making him take 'a big leap backwards'.
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The Schultz family have had prior experience with dangerous animals, having previously lived in a part of the world where rattlesnakes and scorpions lurk.
He ended up having to take a picture of the lurking alligator to prove to his wife that there really was one right out there in the hallway.
They think the alligator must have been lurking in their garden and followed their dog back into the house after it had popped out for a toilet break.
They called 911 and deputies from Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office and staff from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries showed up to wrangle the home invader.
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Footage shared by the police shows the alligator being successfully captured while it tries to thrash around and escape.
Hoping that this won't happen again, the couple have decided to go for a smart dog door which will only open with their dog's collar.
It would have to be a very smart alligator to get through all of that.
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This isn't the first time there's been a mix up between dogs and alligators, as last year the notorious Florida man was bitten by a seven foot long one after mistaking it for a dog.
If you're wondering how Florida man mistook the massive alligator for a dog, the incident occurred just after midnight and it was dark out so he couldn't see it properly.
He fortunately didn't suffer any life changing injuries from his bite wounds, and resolved to be more careful in the future.
Joe Harker