SARASOTA, Florida (AP) -- A Sarasota County family is warning its neighbors to be on alert after an alligator pounced on their dog and dragged it into a lake.

An alligator killed Darryl Mizer's 50-pound keeshond Noah on Tuesday. A trapper tried to locate and catch the animal but has not been able to find it.

Pictures: Alligators wrangled, hunted around Florida

Gary Morse, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, says dogs resemble an alligator's natural prey, and that such attacks are not uncommon.

Mizer, a retired psychologist, said Noah was fighting cancer and had to go outside a few times each night. At about 2 a.m. Tuesday, the dog wandered near the lake and was attacked.

 

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