The American Alligator is known to be the largest reptile in North America and has been known to reach more than 12 feet. The largest one ever found was said to be almost 15 feet. They live primarily in Louisiana but can also be found in surrounding states.
These predators have strong bites and can easily overpower smaller animals. Even a large-sized dog would be no match for it. But incredibly, a 10-month-old dog named River got entangled with one of these gigantic reptiles and survived. Thanks largely to her fearless owner, who didn’t think twice about jumping in and getting his pet out of danger.
Atchafalaya River
River was with her owner, a coast guardsman, taking a walk along the Atchafalaya River when the 60-pound black labrador went into the shallow waters. The dog was splashing around when suddenly, a huge alligator came out of nowhere. Before the dog owner knew it, his pet was getting trashed by the predator.
Any other person would be scared to death of getting in the middle of the attack. But this man wouldn’t just let his pup go like that. He dove in and grabbed his dog. In some sort of miracle, the owner was able to free his pooch from the gator’s powerful jaws, and he came out unscathed himself.
Emergency
River was rushed to an animal hospital, and vets immediately gave her emergency treatment. She had several wounds and ruptured arteries. They needed to stop the bleeding right away and even placed drains on the pup while they operated on her. Thankfully, the vets did an amazing job, and River survived.
It took a few months for the dog to recover fully, and he endured a lot of pain. But with the unbounded love and care of his owner, River is now back to running and enjoying the outdoors.
Source: Morgan City Veterinary Hospital, LLC via Facebook
