A dog named Zeus survived a harrowing attack by a hungry alligator in Florida, WFLA reported.<\/p>\n
Zeus\u2019s family reported that their beloved pup became aroused by a noise in their yard on the night of June 2, so he walked out of his doggie door to investigate. Without warning, a large alligator pounced over the yard\u2019s fence, clamped Zeus in its jaws, and hauled the German Shepherd into a nearby pond. \u201cMy dad came in frantic,\u201d said Zeus\u2019s owner, Susan Alkhatib. \u201cI\u2019d never seen him like that. He\u2019s a tough guy. He said, \u2018The alligator just took Zeus.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Alkhatib and her father watched helplessly as Zeus, his head completely inside the alligator\u2019s mouth, wrestled to free himself from the beast. \u201cThe alligator had just let go of Zeus,\u201d Alkhatib recalled. \u201cWe started yelling at him to come toward us. When he got closer, he got tired. So we had to kind of go into the pond a little bit to get him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alkhatib\u2019s mother ended up swimming out to retrieve Zeus, and the family took him to a veterinary hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. \u201cThe vet told us the gator had just missed his jugular\u2014it looked like Zeus\u2019s entire head had been in the gator\u2019s mouth,\u201d Alkhatib wrote in a GoFundMe post. \u201cThe fact that he made it out alive is nothing short of a miracle,\u201d she said, adding that the vet told her, \u201c\u2018I don\u2019t know how [Zeus] survived.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sent out trappers, but so far they\u2019ve not located the violent alligator. Zeus is currently on a liquid diet until his next surgery in eight weeks. He\u2019s expected to make a full recovery, though he sustained multiple puncture wounds, a fractured jaw, and had to have his jaw wired shut in order to realign it. \u201cDespite it all, Zeus continues to be such a trooper. He\u2019s getting tons of love, snuggles, and care,\u201d Alkhatib wrote.<\/p>\n