9-foot alligator kills woman's dog in St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG (FOX 13) - A Pinellas County woman is mourning the death of her beloved dog after witnessing an alligator attack him right in front of her.

The 9-foot gator attacked the 75-pound dog in Joe’s Creek near Kenneth City Wednesday afternoon.

The owner, who lives on Criswell Avenue, says her dog, Rocky escaped underneath her backyard fence and swam to the other side of the creek.

When Rocky started to swim back, the gator attacked.

Sheriff’s deputies responded and trappers were able to wrangle the gator. They think what was left of rocky floated to the bottom.

 “When I heard Rocky splash in the water I [saw] the alligator start to swim so fast,” Colleen McDonald told FOX 13 news. “It was like, in two seconds I heard one little ‘yelp’ from Rocky and then nothing, and I started screaming immensely.”

Investigators are warning Pinellas County residents about the dangers to pets and children. They say this isn't the first gator attack in the area, with another pet falling victim about a year ago.