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A Florida woman and her puppy are recovering after surviving a harrowing alligator attack.
It happened earlier this month in Paso County, FOX 13 Tampa Bay reported. Danie Wright told the local TV station that she was walking her small, 4-month-old puppy named Dax behind her home when they were attacked by the wild animal.
Wright said her family has lived at the location for roughly 20 years, and had never seen an alligator there before.
“So, I walked him back here, which I very rarely do,” she said. “He was on a leash and everything, but I had just heard a squeal, and then I got tugged.”
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Dax is a small, four-month old puppy saved by his owner during an alligator attack earlier this month in Florida. (FOX 13 Tampa Bay)
Wright said she and the dog were only a few feet away from the creek that had algae and debris covering the surface at the time, providing cover for the lurking alligator.
“As soon as he went in the creek, I went into the creek and realized, ‘Oh god, this is an alligator’,” she said.
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Scratches remain on the arm of dog owner Danie Wright following an alligator attack on her and her dog earlier this month in Pasco County, Florida. (FOX 13 Tampa Bay)
She believes the gator grabbed onto the dog’s AirTag collar.
“It looked like he had him by the throat,” she said. “Literally a half a centimeter, I think, it would have just punctured in his throat and most likely killed him.”
The alligator involved was about five feet long, dog owner Danie Wright told the local TV station. (FOX 13 Tampa Bay)
Wright used her free arm to rip the five-pound puppy out of the alligator’s jaws, and threw him onto the steep bank.
“But my left arm was in the alligator at this point,” she said, realizing she had to fight for her own life.
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“I got him flipped over with my left arm in his mouth and I punched a couple of times and I think I did like an elbow, and got him like right here, and he just loosened his grip enough that I could pull it out,” the gator attack survivor said.
Wright called 911 for help, which included a trapper that captured the gator.
“Put your phones down,” she said. “I was on my phone, standing here, facing the other way of him with a creek behind me.”