SARASOTA, Fla. — A Sarasota couple woke up to find a 300-pound gator in their swimming pool.
Connie and Frank Shaffery said they went out to their patio to enjoy a cup of coffee on Wednesday morning and noticed the alligator.
The couple lives in a neighborhood off University Parkway and Honore Avenue.
"Frank stood up to look out at the pool and said Holy Goodness or something like that! There was an alligator in the pool," said Connie Shaffery.
The couple said their dog barked around 4 a.m., but they brushed it off.
Hours later, they called a state wildlife trapper who came out to remove the alligator. Connie recorded the capture on her cell phone.
"It broke through the screen and Frank repaired the screen, but other than that it was pretty much no damage," said Shaffery.
A licensed state wildlife trapper, Kevin Hibler, said the gator weighed about 300 pounds and is between 15 to 20 years old. Hibler said gator mating season starts in March.
Connie said she's glad no one was hurt including the family dog.
"The dog is not that big and we were so lucky that we didn't let the dog out when he was barking," said Shaffery.
