Surprise visitor takes dip in pool

Who doesn’t enjoy a nice summer dip in the pool?
Apparently that enjoyment is not limited to people, as the Smiths, who live on Dove Road near Erath, recently discovered.
“I was in the house and my husband (Wayne) came in and said we have an alligator in the pool,” Kathy Smith said. “I told him, get out of here.
“He told me to come see.”
What she saw was a three-and-half-foot alligator.
“I was just shocked because that was the first one we had ever seen around our house,” Smith said.
The alligator’s size, while not overwhelming, did set off a red flag.
“We felt like it was a baby,” Smith said. “We looked around to make sure there wasn’t a mama close by. We didn’t see one.”
The alligator had all the indications of a youngster.
“He was very active,” Smith said. “He would climb out of the pool. Then he would just dive back into the pool when he would see us.”
The Smiths contacted the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Department. Deputies who responded then called someone through the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF). The handler released the alligator back into the wild because of its size. According to the LDWF, alligators less than 4 feet in length are naturally fearful of humans and are generally not a threat to pets, livestock or humans.
In all, the alligator called the Smiths’ pool home for about three hours. The alligator’s actual home remains a mystery to the Smiths.
“I have no idea where it came from,” she said. “When we get a good bit of rain like we have had lately, we usually get something in the pool. We have had our share of turtles, snakes and some crawfish.”
And even one animal that usually isn’t associated with water.
“We found a rabbit on one occasion,” Smith said.
Don’t worry, the rabbit was fine.
“My husband pulled up the filter to empty the basket,” Smith said. “The rabbit jumped out at him and took off.”
The Smiths wanted to make sure the alligator remained fine, too.
“We were concerned about its well being,” Smith said. “We had a lot of people joke about coming over for supper that night. You can put it on the grill. We knew it was against the law to kill a baby alligator. That wasn’t even a thought to kill it.”
Like their visitor, the Smiths did enjoy the pool during the weekend.
“We were back swimming,” Smith said. “We cleaned it really well and got back to swimming. When we go, we look to see what’s in there.
“So far, the alligator has been the craziest thing.”