TAMPA, FLA. (WSVN) - A Florida family’s dog is on the road to recovery after being grabbed and dragged into the water by an alligator.
The reptile was seen ripping through their backyard fence before attacking Zeus, the family’s pet German shepherd, in the Tampa Bay Area on Monday.
The owner, Susan Al-Khatib, says her dog heard the alligator in their backyard while her father was sitting on the patio.
“Thinking that Zeus was gone for a second was heartbreaking as well, you know he’s our baby,” she said. “I heard everything from my room. I came running downstairs, and my dad came into the house and started yelling and saying, ‘Zeus just got taken by the alligator. Zeus is gone.'”
Zeus was grabbed headfirst by the reptile and dragged into the water. Fortunately, he managed to free himself, swimming to land while covered in blood.
Al-Khatib then rushed him to the emergency room. The attack left him with a displaced jaw and multiple punctures to the neck.
“I heard Zeus in my room yelling in pain like I never have heard him before, and then I didn’t hear him anymore,” she said. “I was crying so much the first day; I’m just happy he’s alive. He’s one of the Al-Khatibs.”
Now Zeus has to wear a muzzle for the next three to eight weeks before undergoing surgery to remove the wires keeping his jaw together.
Al-Khatib called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to the area to investigate. While she hopes no other animals fall victim to the gator, she’s trying to stay positive.
The FWC has since sent out trappers. However, they have not been able to capture the gator as of Wednesday evening.
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