A woman saved her 4-month-old dog from being eaten by a 5-foot alligator by punching the wildlife creature in the eye and she is now warning others of the dangers
A Florida woman rescued her 4-month-old puppy from the jaws of a 5-foot alligator by repeatedly striking the reptile in the eye.
Danie Wright, who has lived in Land O’Lakes – a rural community roughly 20 miles north of Tampa – for two decades, fought off the predator to save her beloved dog Dax from becoming the gator’s next meal.
“I heard a squeal, and I got pulled,” Wright told CBS affiliate WTSP. “The alligator had him by his collar and dragged him, and I wasn’t gonna let go.”
The terrifying encounter unfolded last week when the alligator emerged from a nearby creek and seized the puppy by its collar.
Wright described how she immediately sprang into action to rescue her cherished pet, throwing punches until the fearsome creature loosened its grip on Dax, reports the Mirror US.
“I just punched him, punched and punched, and I punched him in the eye enough that he kind of let go like he unclamped a little,” Wright explained. “And I pulled out, but his teeth were like her and just drug down my arm.”
Whilst the puppy escaped unharmed, Wright suffered bite wounds to her arm and is currently recovering, according to WTSP.
She admits she remains stunned by the extraordinary events that unfolded at her home.
“I can’t believe this happened in my life today,” the woman told reporters.
“I can’t even believe this happened in my life today. I freaking fought an alligator and won,” she added in amazement. Following the incident, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials managed to capture the alligator and relocate it from the property.
Although Dax escaped the attack without injury, Wright still cautioned her neighbours and fellow Florida residents to remain vigilant about wildlife in their gardens.
“Be careful with your dogs, you know, these alligators are no joke,” Wright said. “I mean, 15 feet he came out to get him, and I didn’t see him.”
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, there have been more than 450 documented cases of alligator bites since 1948 in the state, with just 30 proving fatal.
In 2024, there were two attacks in Florida, one in Largo, a city in the Tampa area, and another in Fort Pierce, on the state’s east coast.
A separate study by The University of Florida and Centre College in Kentucky from May 2025 found that most gator attacks typically stem from “risky human behaviour, not aggression by alligators.”
Such behaviours include swimming in alligators’ known habitat.
“In contrast, low and no-risk behaviours, like walking near water or simply being present on land, rarely resulted in attacks,” the study said.
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