Most folks don’t expect much drama when they crack the back door at 1 a.m. to let the dog out. But one Naples, Florida family says that quick trip into the dark turned into a full-on wildlife situation when a loud splash revealed a full-grown alligator had climbed into their backyard swimming pool.
The account, first shared in the original post, came from homeowner Rob Emhoff, who told WINK-TV his wife heard the splash behind their home and then spotted what he described as a large, striped alligator moving through the water.
A late-night splash turned into a backyard surprise
Emhoff said the alligator wasn’t just passing through. From their view, it was in the deep end, then moved over near a basketball hoop and lingered. He described it repeatedly going down to the bottom of the pool and then popping its head back up.
That’s the kind of thing that makes your backyard feel a whole lot smaller in a hurry—especially in the middle of the night, when you can’t see much beyond the pool lights and shadows.
The family made the call that kept things from getting worse
Instead of trying to chase it off themselves, the Emhoffs called Collier County’s non-emergency line, according to the account. A trapper arrived roughly 10 minutes later…