Florida woman fends off 5-foot alligator with bare hands to save puppy
Danie Wright fought the reptile in Land O’ Lakes after it clamped onto her 4-month-old dog; wildlife officers later removed the animal as officials warn pet owners to avoid shorelines
A Florida woman fought off a 5-foot alligator with her bare hands last week to rescue her 4-month-old puppy after the reptile lunged from a mossy creek and clamped onto the animal’s collar, authorities and the woman said.
Danie Wright, who has lived in Florida for two decades, was walking the puppy, Dax, behind her home in Land O’ Lakes, about 20 miles north of Tampa, when the gator seized the dog, Wright told WTSP. "I heard a squeal, and I got pulled," she said. "The alligator had him by his collar and dragged him, and I wasn’t gonna let go."
Wright said she struck the alligator repeatedly in the eye until it released the puppy. She sustained bite wounds along her arm during the struggle and is now recovering, local media reported. The puppy was not injured. Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission trapped the 5-foot gator and removed it from the property.
Florida wildlife officials estimate there are about 1.3 million alligators across the state, and attacks on pets are far more common than attacks on people. The FWC said the state averages about eight unprovoked alligator attacks on humans each year; one unprovoked fatal attack has been reported in 2025. Recent incidents this summer included an optometrist who was mauled by an eight-foot alligator while wading in the St. Lucie River and a 61-year-old woman who was killed after an 11-foot alligator flipped a canoe near Lake Kissimmee State Park, according to FWC reports.
The FWC has launched a public awareness campaign called "GatorWise" to remind residents and visitors that alligators can be present in many bodies of water, including lakes, ponds, canals and marshes. The commission advises pet owners to keep animals on leashes, maintain distance from water edges, and avoid allowing pets to approach or drink from water where alligators may be hiding.
Wright urged other pet owners to be cautious after her encounter. "Just be careful with your dogs, you know these alligators are no joke," she said. "I mean, 15 feet, he came out to get him, and I didn’t see him."
Officers who responded to the Land O’ Lakes property captured the gator and removed it from the area. The FWC handles removal and relocation decisions based on size, location and behavior of captured alligators as part of its public safety and wildlife management duties.
Wildlife officials continue to emphasize that, while fatal attacks are rare, interactions between people, pets and alligators occur regularly in Florida and that vigilance around natural water bodies is important to reduce risks to humans and animals.