NEW IBERIA, La. — For years, Don and Jan Schultz called the City of Yuma home. When it came to wildlife, their concerns then mainly involved rattlesnakes and scorpions.
In February, the couple traded in the desert for Cajun Country after heading east to Louisiana.
“We always came over here on vacation a couple of times a year. And let’s face it, the food is just awesome,” Don said.
Last week, while asleep at their home in New Iberia, Louisiana the couple had an unexpected wakeup call, courtesy of Panda, the couple’s Australian Cattle Dog.
“She growled. I thought that there was probably a cat walking through the yard,” Jan said. “She growled again and I heard a thump. And I was like, 'Oh, somebody’s in the house'."
Don went to check out the thump in the night and would find it to be no ordinary intruder.
“I stood there for a second and got my eyes adjusted to the darkness. And finally I made out the shape of a full alligator,” he said.
A five-foot gator was there inside the home.
“His head was only a foot away from my foot,” Don recalled.
“I took a big leap backwards. The same way I did in Arizona when I saw rattlesnakes. I told my wife, 'There’s an alligator in the house.' She thought I was joking. I had to take a picture to prove it to her,” he added.
As Jan and Panda hid in the room, Don called 911. But there was a problem.
“I couldn’t get to the door to open it because the gator was in the hallway,” Don said.
Luckily, the couple had just installed a keypad for the door.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and sheriff’s deputies showed up to take the gator away.
“Even the gator experts that came in and got the gator said that they’ve never had one in a house before,” said Don.
So how did the gator get in the house?
The answer to this riddle isn't too tough to solve.
The couple believes when Panda went to take care of business in the middle of the night, the gator was lurking in the yard and probably followed her back inside through her doggy door.
Looking initially for a possible snack, the couple said the house became a place for the gator to cool off.
“They don’t like hot. The temperature in the water is getting really hot right now. So they’re looking for cooler places,” Don said.
The couple is now hoping that they won’t see the gator later. They’ve now installed a smart doggy door which can only be opened with Panda’s collar.
They’re thankful for her quick actions.
“She’s definitely a guardian for us. Otherwise, we may not have fully woken up and the gator would have been a few more feet into the bedroom,” Jan said.
The couple said after the incident, they feel that they are now true Louisianans.
“The farmer who we bought the house from told us we’re official Cajuns now because we sleep with alligators,” Don said.