Man says emotional support alligator helps his depression, reptile 'likes to give hugs'

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5-foot-long gator has never bitten anyone, owner says.

 

 

York County's emotional support alligator, Wally, met some new friends on Monday at SpiriTrust Lutheran's Village on Sprenkle Drive. Ty Lohr,

 

 

A Pennsylvania man says his emotional support alligator helps him deal with his depression.

Joie Henney, 65, said his registered emotional support animal named Wally likes to snuggle and give hugs, despite being a 5-foot-long alligator. The York Haven man said he received approval from his doctor to use Wally as his emotional support animal after not wanting to go on medication for depression, he told Philly.com.

"I had Wally, and when I came home and was around him, it was all OK," he said. "My doctor knew about Wally and figured it works, so why not?"

Wally was rescued from outside Orlando at 14 months old and is still growing; Henney said Wally could be 16 feet long one day. Henney says Wally eats chicken wings and shares an indoor plastic pond with a smaller rescue alligator named Scrappy.

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