South Carolina Man Wrestles Alligator to Save His Dog: 'Wrong Place at the Wrong Time'

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A man in South Carolina proved just how far he'd go for man's best friend when an alligator attacked his dog.

Bruce Savage leaped into action Wednesday morning during a walk with his dog Hannah around the pond in their Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina neighborhood. "It's a very safe neighborhood. We've known about the alligators," Savage told WCIV. "It's kind of a thing in the neighborhood; Can you spot the alligators?"

He recounted turning around during the walk and not seeing Hannah but the other end of her retractable leash going into the water. That's when Savage faced off against the gator to save his furry friend.

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"The whole thing was probably less than 60 seconds. The whole event," Savage said. "I can't hear anything; literally, my whole system shut down. My ears shut down; I couldn't hear anything. Except for myself screaming my dog's name. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Savage wrestled Hannah out of the alligator's mouth, although the terrier lost her tail and sustained other injuries during the attack. The pet owner avoided any injuries from the alligator, coming out of the incident with some scrapes on his leg from gravel.

"My kids were like, 'Well, did you look back,' and I was like, 'Heck no,' I didn't look back," Savage said. "I was running as fast as it could."

Animal control arrived on the scene after the incident, and the company Gator Getter Consultants searched the pond for hours, but the alligator was never found. "I just don't think it's smart to walk along there, and I don't think Hannah will ever go there again," Savage said.

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Savage admitted that the gator's whereabouts are still a concern. "I'm worried about kids. I mean a dog, I love Hanna," he added. "But it's kids being around the water in their prime hunting time."

The state's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says there have been three gator-related fatalities since 2016, but none before then. "I think it basically boils down to that our population is increasing and developments within alligator habitat in the coastal part of South Carolina are increasing," DNR's David Lucas told WCIV.

South Carolina's DNR recommends people living in the state's wetlands, particularly in Lowcountry, stay 10 feet away from bodies of water during the spring and summer months to avoid potential alligator encounters.