Florida Man Attacked By 11-Foot Alligator While Walking His Dog

Eve Vawter
·2 min read
13

A dog owner in Collier County, Florida, is recovering in the hospital after an alligator dragged him by the leg towards a pond while he was out walking his dog.

Thanks to the man's neighbor the victim believes he is alive today.

The man, Rick Fingeret, was walking his dog near a pond when an alligator grabbed him by the leg and started dragging him towards the pond. Fingeret's neighbor, Walter Rudder, heard Fingeret's screams and went to help. Fingeret had tried to clobber the alligator over its head to release his leg to no avail.

WinkNews reports that they spoke to Rudder via zoom about the terrifying incident, "I was driving back to our house when I saw someone laying on the ground, waving his arm. I drove over and did not realize that an alligator had bitten him on the leg and had his leg in its mouth,” said Rudder. “We backed the car out, and I drove over the alligator. It got loose, let go of the leg and ran off towards the pond. Then Paula, she called 911. I got out of the car and I took my shirt off and wrapped it around his wound, which was near his thigh. The second wound was the calf area. He had two big dogs, which were labs, with him. I took a leash off of the one labs and made a tourniquet out of it, and waited for the EMT to arrive. They finally did arrive which was great, and they did a wonderful job, and that’s what took place.”

Related: Florida Alligator Makes Himself Right at Home in Woman's Kitchen

Fingeret is said to be doing well and recovering at the hospital. 

Now, everyone knows you have to be careful while walking your dog by a pond in Florida, but alligators are also super stealthy and can easily hide in water. Florida is home to about 1.3 million alligators!

How To Survive an Alligator Attack

Alligators usually leave people alone, but sometimes they can be attracted to people when they are walking dogs, which just look like prey to alligators.

If you do see an alligator coming towards you, the first step you should take is to run. Run in a straight line as far and fast from the gator as possible. Don't try to run in a zig-zag pattern, as that'll just take you longer to go farther.

If the alligator actually gets you in its mouth, don't try to pry its jaws open! They have a bite force of 3,000 pounds.

You should smack the gator's sensitive snout, and also try to gouge the gator's eyes.

And try not to walk you dog near ponds or lakes!

Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos. Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips.