From correspondents in New South Wales, Australia, 04:30 PM IST

Two schoolboys playing on a riverbank on Australia's west coast had a lucky escape when a 3.5-metre crocodile picked on their 10-year-old black Labrador instead of them, news reports said Monday.

'It was a heavy dog, at least 40 kg, and would be heavier than at least one of the children,' police sergeant Mike Wells said of Sunday's attack near Derby in Western Australia.

'The crocodile came out of the water and grabbed the Labrador effortlessly and took it away,' Wells told The West Australian newspaper.

The parents were locals and were having a picnic nearby when the croc lunged at the dog.

'Unfortunately everyone knows there are crocs there but people tend to get complacent,' Wells said.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)