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9-foot alligator attacks, kills 75-pound dog in Florida

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The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is warning parents and pet owners to be cautious around water after a woman's dog was killed by a 9-foot alligator in St. Petersburg, Florida on Wednesday. 

Deputies responded to a home for a report of an alligator attack. 

The woman's 75-pound Chow mix was attacked by the large gator and pulled down into the creek. 

Florida law says if a gator attacks your pet, you're not allowed to shoot and kill it

Deputies were unable to rescue the dog and a trapper was called to remove the alligator from the creek. 

Pinellas County Sheriff's Office posted a photo of the trapped gator on Facebook with a warning to the public. 

Tampa-based WFTS reached out to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office to find out what happened to the gator. They released the following statement: "The alligator was alive and in good condition when the trapper left with it. Don't know if they planned on relocating it or not."

This isn't the first time an alligator from the creek has snatched and killed a family pet. In August of 2016 a one-year-old Jack Russell got loose from his collar to chase a rabbit and a gator came out of the water and grabbed the dog.

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