Local family 'too distraught to speak' after gator kills dog

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - A family is now reeling after the family dog was killed by an eight foot alligator on Thursday morning. The attack occurred in a canal in the area of the PGA National Resort.

“The gator was just right there. The dog jumped in the water and the gator took it,” said a witness who did not want to be identified.

At approximately 7 a.m., the alligator was moving in to capture what would be its prey.

“Food is food. And I didn’t realize we had an 8 foot gator,” said another neighbor, Don McAliley.

In this case, the prey was a medium-sized bird hunting dog named ‘Confetti’. The dog, known to his owners as ‘Fetti’, somehow ran unleashed from home and bolted toward a nearby canal. Neighbors say ‘Fetti’ was going after a bird. The dog’s paw prints were still recognizable in the mud hours after the incident.

“The damage was done. As soon as that dog was grabbed, that was it,” said neighbor Marc Ennis.

They couple that owns the dog was too distraught to speak about the incident. The dog’s remains were handed over to the family. The alligator was captured by a trapper summoned to the area by wildlife officials. The gator was later euthanized.