'Heroic': Lake County deputies, animal control help rescue family dog from alligator-infested waters
LEESBURG — A local 4-year-old Goldendoodle is home safe after she was rescued from alligator-infested waters by the Lake County Sheriff Deputies and Lake County Animal Control last week.
What started off as a normal Tuesday night for Sarah Bates ended in a four-hour long chase to catch her dog Maggie.
"Lake County Sheriff's Deputies and Lake County Animal Control as well as my amazing neighbors went above and beyond," said Sarah Bates, Maggie's owner. "I am truly grateful and humbled by this experience."
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Maggie's great escape
Bates was finishing up a regular work day when she let her two dogs out in the backyard.
Her dog, Maggie, has always been a hunter, chasing down lizards and bunnies, and before she knew it her dog was climbing her 5-foot fence into her neighbor's yard to chase after an animal she spotted.
"As soon as I saw her look at me it was like she was saying 'I'm going to jump this fence' and that's exactly what she did," she said. "So I bolted. She has done this before so I was hoping to just run to the next yard, but whatever she was chasing, she was going to get."
Maggie then jumped over the next neighbor's fence, but she didn't stop there. She sprinted down the road through five neighbors' properties as Bates ran barefoot down the street in her pajamas calling out to her.
When Bates realized she wasn't going to be able to catch Maggie alone, she grabbed her phone, jumped in her Jeep, and called up friends and neighbors to help. Just as they spotted Maggie in one of her neighbor's driveways, Maggie turned and jumped into a small wooded pond.
"Out of breath and overheated, I called 911. I gave the dispatcher all the info and she said she would have someone come. Not five minutes later we met Deputy (Steven) Melendes with the Lake County Sheriff's Office," she said.
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'It was heroic'
At this point, Bates had friends on each side of the acre pond that was overgrown with thick willows, trees, and bushes trying to coax Maggie. The owner of the property told Bates that he had just mowed the backyard five days ago and it was empty of water, but now there was six feet of water with two alligators swimming in the pond.
"Everybody could hear her but nobody could see her because the brush was so thick and she couldn't see us because the brush was so thick," she said.
They called for additional help and Deputy Daniel Roman and animal control officer Holly Scott came to assist. The deputies, Scott, and one of Bates' neighbors, Rex Rutledge, entered the pond to save Maggie.
Rutledge went in hip deep into the water with a flashlight to keep a spotlight on the two alligators, one at least 5-foot long, swimming nearby.
"I'm beyond humbled because — and everyone there agrees — it was very brave of them to go in. And I'm not afraid of alligators, and I'm not afraid of snakes but I am afraid of losing my dog," Bates said.
At one point Melendez was chest high in the water trying to scoop up Maggie as Bates and her six neighbors watched.
"Quite frankly, it was heroic. Knowing there was a danger from at least two alligators, hearing a barking dog nearby, potential snakes, and whatever else in that swamp, still the deputies proceeded," she said.
After four hours, five friends, four neighbors, two deputies, and an animal control officer, Maggie came out of the wooded pond safe and back on dry land.
"The adventures of Maggie are not new, but this one was by far the most harrowing," Bates said. "I am truly in awe of our Lake County Sheriff's Deputies. I don't think my Maggie would have survived had they not gone in and rescued her."
This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Dog rescued from alligator-infested pond in Florida
