Bossier Parish Alligator ‘Arrest': How a Local Dog Helped Deputies Catch a Gator

Well, I guess we can officially call this an average "Louisiana Tuesday night" here in the Ark-La-Tex.

Let’s be honest, one of my absolute biggest, most vivid fears is walking my small dog, Olive, alongside the pond and having a giant alligator pop out of the water to snatch her. In my head, the story always ends with me physically wrestling a 12-foot apex predator. Wait, nobody else has these irrational fears?

As it turns out, maybe my fears should be less about protecting my dog from a gator and more about protecting a gator from a neighborhood dog.

The Bossier Sheriff’s Office took to Facebook with a hilarious arrest post that has us all in absolute stitches. On May 5th, deputies responded to a trespassing call on Hunters Hollow Drive. When Deputy Densmore arrived on the scene, he made contact with the suspect: a 3-foot alligator. The plot twist? The gator was currently being carried around by the homeowner’s dog!

According to BSO, the family pet didn't just detain the reptilian trespasser—the pup practically auditioned for the K9 division by backing up the deputy the entire time. Deputy Densmore safely secured the suspect in his patrol unit, and the gator was later released into his natural habitat on his own "re-croc-gnizance." Hats off to the deputy and that unnamed hero dog!

Honestly, May must be the official season for the Ark-La-Tex to be on high alligator alert.

You might remember back in May of 2022 when our neighbors at the DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Department had their own legendary gator arrest on Interstate 49. In that viral press release, deputies had to wrangle a massive 10-to-13-foot gator blocking traffic, hilariously joking that the reptile was trying to distribute meth, all while delivering a classic misspelling of Natchitoches.

Never change, Louisiana law enforcement. And keep an eye on your pups, everyone, they might just out-sprint the deputies!