Overview

• Danie Wright said the gator ambushed 4-month-old Dax along a stagnant, moss-covered creek behind her Land O’Lakes home last week.
• The reptile reportedly lunged about 15 feet, clamped onto the puppy’s collar and began dragging him into the water.
• Wright struck the alligator in the eye until it released the dog; she suffered bite wounds and is recovering, and Dax was not hurt.
• Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers and licensed trappers captured the roughly 5-foot gator and removed it from the property.
• FWC notes Florida averages about eight unprovoked attacks on people each year and warns that pets are targeted more often, urging leashes and distance from water.