The alligator first took up residence in Sonya Gilreath's bushes Thursday morning, she told ABC News today.
"It didn't look very big to me," she said, adding that it seemed like it could have been a baby alligator.
Police responded, Gilreath said, and as the gator laid still, she and her 2-year-old and 3-year-old sat on the front porch "just watching it."
"All of a sudden, it stood up, and I realized how gigantic it was," she said. "I've never seen one this size before. Not loose."
That's when Gilreath took her excited kids inside and snapped the adorable photos from her kids' perspective.
"They thought it was really cool," she said.
The gator was 10 feet long,, and taken by local police back into the water. The Department of Natural Resources was notified but did not intervene.
The Goose Creek Police Department wrote on Facebook, "If you see an alligator in your neighborhood, don't approach or attempt to handle them on your own. Our animal control officers will respond and determine the best course of action in these situations."
ABC News
