Dog hailed hero after saving family from large alligator

Gators Boys trap 7-foot gator in Coral Springs

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.


About the Authors:

Terrell Forney joined Local 10 News in October 2005 as a general assignment reporter. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, but a desire to escape the harsh winters of the north brought him to South Florida.

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.