Florida Man Saves His 8-Month-Old Pup from Near Alligator Attack

For the latest installation of what do Floridaalligators be on, a dog is recovering after almost being eaten by the large reptile.

The dog, Jake is “on the mend. He’s full of spit and vinegar today,” his owner Mike McCoy told ABC Action News. The 8-month old chocolate lab has bald patches on his body and head, likely where the alligator attacked him and has to wear a cone to prevent him from licking the wounds.

The incident happened on Tuesday near a pond behind a local middle school in Holiday, Florida. “He was in the death roll with that old gator,” McCoy said, recalling how the gator jumped up out of the water and dragged Jake in.

“I previously read up on my environment and gators,” he said. “I got around, thumbed him in the eye, picked him off the ground, picked him out of the water so he couldn’t get anywhere until he let the dog go. And in the interim, he decided, ‘Well, I don’t have him, I’ll bite you.’”

A teacher, Kellie Mallon saw the encounter from the school building, describing the gator as a “snake” that was “darting really fast.” She saw McCoy go in after Jake, too. The school nurse tended to McCoy’s wounds, and both he and the dog got stitches. “I could be worse,” he said. He didn’t waver when getting the chance to save Jake. “No hesitation. It’s just the way it is.”