A married Florida couple says they got an early birthday surprise after they found an alligator helping itself to some soda in their garage, according to WINK News.
Karyn and Jamie Dobson told reporters they heard a crash at their Naples home and decided to check their garage. As the husband peeked his head through the crack of the door, that's when he spotted an 8-foot-long reptile and the frothing mess it left behind.
"There was Diet Coke spewing everywhere because the gator tore open the box [and] had a few cans, probably thought it was beer maybe," Karyn Dobson says. She explains that they bought slabs of soda for her birthday party a few days later.
"We were all standing there like a scaredy cat," the wife says. "People have sent me texts and emails … they have all these comments [like] ‘What a great birthday present.’”
The Dobsons believe the predator snuck in after they walked their dog and forgot to close the garage door. They told WINK they recently moved from Chicago and didn't realize the creatures could find their way into homes that way. Reporters say the couple called trappers to remove the gator and relocate it to a non-residential area.
Floridians can expect to see more alligators right now since their mating season began in April and is expected to last through June. While gators tend to be more aggressive during this time, attacks are rare, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.