The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is warning parents and pet owners to be cautious around water after a 9-foot alligator attacked and killed a 75 pound dog in St. Petersburg last week.
Deputies responded to a home on Criswell Avenue, near Saint Joes Creek, for a report of an alligator attack.
Colleen McDonald says her dog Rocky escaped her backyard and ran across the creek. McDonald says she followed her dog until she spotted the gator's head in the water.
She threw rocks at the gator hoping to distract it while she called for her dog to come back to her.
Rocky was on his way across the creek when the gator snatched him under the water.
Deputies were unable to rescue the dog.
A trapper was called to remove the alligator.
Trappers say they knew they had the right gator because the dog was still in its mouth when they pulled the alligator out.
Deputies say the gator weighed between 350 and 400 pounds, which they say is big for Joe's Creek.