Land O’ Lakes Woman Fights Off Alligator With Bare Hands to Save Puppy
A Florida woman is being hailed as a hero after she fought off a five-foot alligator with her bare hands to save her four-month-old puppy. The dramatic encounter occurred last week in Land O’ Lakes when Danie Wright was walking her puppy, Dax, behind her home.
According to Wright, an unseen alligator lurked in a nearby creek and snatched Dax by his collar, dragging the puppy toward the water. “I heard a squeal, and I got pulled,” Wright told local news outlet WTSP. Without hesitation, she held on to Dax, refusing to let the reptile take him.
The gator pulled the pair about 15 feet from the creek’s edge before Wright’s survival instincts took over. “I just punched him, punched and punched,” she told the outlet. “I punched him in the eye enough that he kind of let go, he unclamped a little, and I pulled off.”
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The daring rescue left Wright with injuries. The alligator’s teeth “dragged down my arm,” she explained. Following the incident, trappers and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials captured and removed the gator from her property.
Wright, who advises other dog owners to be vigilant, said, “Just be careful with your dogs, you know these alligators are no joke.”
She also suggested leaving phones at home to avoid distractions while walking pets.
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