Desert Hot Springs beagle sniffs out stray 3-foot-long gator in back yard

Unclear where alligator originated from

Dog nose


blont/SXC

Alligator


(Photo courtesy: Sam Greenwood/Getty)
Copyright Getty Images

Posted: 03/05/2013
Last Updated: 77 days ago

DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. - Beagles are bred to find small game like rabbits, but apparently they can sniff out bigger game too.

A beagle named Lincoln Razz was barking in his back yard near Palm Springs on Monday, pointing his 29-year-old owner Daisy Maldonado to an alligator wedged between two fences. 

Officials from the Riverside County Department of Animal Control say they captured the 3-foot-long stray gator and planned to find it a tub of water before seeking out a permanent home.

Animal Services spokesman John Welsh says it's not clear how the alligator got to the yard in Desert Hot Springs and they don't plan to look for the owner, who is unlikely to come forward because pet alligators are illegal in California.  

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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