In Leesburg, a four-year-old golden doodle had to be rescued from alligator infested waters last week by the Lake County Sheriff Deputies and Lake County Animal Control after she lunged into a wooded pond chasing a critter across multiple neighborhood backyards.
According to the Daily Commercial, the dog’s owner, Sarah Bates let her two dogs out into the backyard at the end of the day. Maggie, the four-year-old golden doodle, has a strong prey instinct and loves to chase down lizards and rabbits, but this time she must have been carried away with her desire to catch the little critters.
In an instant, Maggie jumped over Sarah’s five-foot fence and bolted away. Filled with energy, the dog jumped over her neighbor’s fence also and sprinted down the road through the properties of five more neighbors. All the while, Sarah was in pursuit dressed in her pajamas running after her dog, until she realized she was not going to catch the energetic pooch alone.
Sarah called her friends and neighbors for help, and just at that moment, another neighbor saw the dog jump into a small wooded pond and that two alligators had been spotted in the six-foot deep water a few days earlier.
Deputy Steven Melendes, an officer with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office arrived and soon after Deputy Daniel Roman and animal control officer Holly Scott all pitched in to help find Maggie. Officer Scott and one of the neighbors waded into the pond up to their hips while using their flashlights to keep tab of the two alligators swimming nearby.
No doubt, the officers involved and the volunteers who saved the dog’s life are heroes. Four hours later, five friends, four neighbors, two deputies and an animal control officer rescued Maggie.
Many thanks to everyone who helped.
(Photo via Sarah Bates)
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