A South Florida woman survived a harrowing incident on New Year's Eve when she was attacked by an alligator while trying to save her dog from a rampaging reptile.
Gwen Cash was taking her Rottweiler Maximus for a walk near her Pembroke Pines home when an alligator rapidly approached her pet. WSVN reported.
“Within five minutes, we hadn't been here that long, but he was right there. I thought, 'Wow!'” Cash told the press.
“We scanned the entire lake and he was right there,” she said. “He turned him around as if he was going for my dog's throat. I tried to put his arm around the dog's chest and it got scratched. I’m glad it wasn’t there.”
Cash said he managed to free the dog and bring it back inside the house, but he was left with a large gash on his arm.
She said she contacted a trapper to remove the animal from along Holly Lake.
“I think they're beautiful. They're in their natural habitat. We came here, not the other way around,” Cash said.
But she added: “I don't think they're pretty when they're trying to eat my dog. … Hey, if it's not my dog, it might be someone's little kid playing with it.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission advised people not to feed wildlife, especially alligators. By doing so, wild animals become accustomed to the environment and humans.
