A 75-year-old man from Palm Harbor in Florida fought off an alligator in an effort to save his dog, Tuesday morning last week.
Buddy Ackerman says his daughter’s golden retriever, named Osi, was in the middle of doing her business when a seven-foot, seven-inch alligator grabbed onto its backside.
“He was squealing a good bit when the thing grabbed him,” Ackerman said. “Me, I’m a nervous wreck, I go up and slip and fall on my rear end, and the two of us are tugging. Alligator is going one way, I’m going the other.”
Ackerman, who was watching Osi because his daughter was on vacation, said he kicked the alligator in the snout twice to get Osi.
“My father is our hero, Osi and I are so very grateful that nobody was hurt,” Jody Ackerman, his daughter, told ABC via text.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reminds residents to be more cautious with their pets and to check the signs to keep out of danger.
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– 700-pound alligator found in Georgia suffers from old gunshot wounds, euthanized
– Five-foot long alligator serves as emotional support animal
