What would you do to save your pet? A man from Florida was walking his dog on Monday (June 8th) on his Wesley Chapel farm when a 13-foot alligator reached out of the water and grabbed the dog. Trent Tweddale says he grabbed the dog’s collar and ended up in a tug-of-war with the gator. When the gator wouldn’t let go he says he got knee-deep in the water and started pounding on the gator’s head until the creature let go. The dog had injuries to one leg and paw, but had reconstructive surgery and the owner is hopeful the dog will regain full use of the paw. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is helping Tweddale try and trap the gator.
Tweddale, who was in the US Army for at least 10 years, quickly sprung into action. 'I grabbed the dog’s collar to try to pull him back, and I ended up in a tug-of-war match with this gator, and the gator was not letting go,' said Tweddale. 'So I let go of the collar, and I got about knee-deep into the water and started pounding on the gator’s head until he eventually let go.' Tweddale only sustained minor scratches from the incident, but the gator nearly severed Loki's front right leg.