(CNN/KATC) - A couple who recently relocated from Arizona to Louisiana got quite the Cajun welcome when they awoke to an uninvited late-night guest inside their home -- an alligator. 

"It was quite the experience," said Don Schultz. "We're getting the full Cajun experience."

Don and Jan Schultz were awakened in the middle of the night by their 7-year-old dog Panda, who sensed something was wrong.

"Our dog, Panda, growled, and, you know, a deep-throat, grumble, and woke my wife up. And she tapped me and said, 'I think there's somebody in the house.' And so, so I got up and headed down the hall to check," he said. "I saw the shape of an alligator."

The 5-foot alligator had entered through the doggie door.

Don and Jan called 911, and Wildlife and Fisheries agents came soon afterward to capture the uninvited reptile. 

"We are real grateful for the Sheriffs, and Wildlife and Fisheries that came and so thoroughly dispatched the creature from our home and I guess it's off swimming in a bayou somewhere," said Jan.

Don said the couple is taking no more chances.

"We are taking precautions and putting a locking dog door in now that only unlocks with the dog's collar, so we won't have this surprise in the future," he said.