Former U.S army staff sergeant and Florida resident, Trent Tweddale has vowed not to rest until he has captured the alligator that attacked his rescue dog “Loki” earlier this week.
Tweddale was walking Loki near his home after heavy rains in the area had swollen the local river. Loki rushed towards the water and then stood with his front paws in the water.
A four-metre long alligator emerged from the river and attacked the dog, grabbing it by the front paws. Tweddale grabbed his dog by the collar and battled the large reptile in a tug of war for the dog’s life. The alligator only let go of the dog after Tweddale began beating it on the head with his free hand.
Tweddale rushed the dog to the vet for emergency surgery to repair the dog’s leg, as it was nearly severed. Tweddale said that when he got the dog out of the water, he could see his dog’s bones, and one of the paws was hanging by a thread.
The surgery was a success and Tweddale is hoping that the dog will soon regain full use of his front paws again.
In the meantime, Tweddale, with the help of local officials, has been using his rooster as bait for an alligator trap in the hope of capturing the alligator that attacked his dog.
Tweddale said of the whole ordeal, “We love our dog a lot and I’d fight tooth and nail for him.”