Many individuals will go to any length to protect their pets, even if it means putting themselves in danger. We’ve witnessed stories of average pet owners putting themselves in danger to save their friend’s lifetime and time again (and pets do the same for their owners).
One 74-year-old woman, for example, braved an alligator to save her golden retriever.
Suzan Marciano of Boca Raton, Florida, was walking her dog Nalu near a lake on the evening of August 24, according to the Palm Beach Post.
The two were enjoying the lake after playing fetch, with the golden retriever knee-deep in the water. Suzan, on the other hand, remembers her “heart-dropping” when she noticed a dark spot in the water advancing towards her dog.
It was a six-foot-long alligator, and it had Nalu in its jaws in an instant.
The senior citizen took action without hesitation to free her dog. “I did the only thing I could think of at the time. She told the Palm Beach Post, “I came down on the alligator with all my weight.”
The gator let off of Nalu, but quickly shifted its focus to Suzan, biting on her hand. “Everything was a blur.” I was completely taken aback. She recalls, “I didn’t feel any pain.”
Suzan and Nalu both made it through the ordeal alive, although they both sustained puncture wounds that necessitated medical visits. Suzan’s hand required five stitches, and Nalu’s stomach and thigh wounds necessitated a two-hour surgery.
The event left them both “traumatized,” and Suzan claims she was terrified to return to the park for weeks: “I was still seeing the shadow with two eyes coming up from out of the water.” She told the Palm Beach Post, “That image kept coming back to me.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission examined the scene in reaction to the event, but found no alligators in the lake, according to the Post. Their program, according to a spokeswoman, “proactively addresses alligator risks.”
What a terrifying occurrence. While Suzan and Nalu both suffered bruises and suffering as a result of the event, we are grateful that they both survived. It just goes to show how fearless pet owners can be when their canines are in perilous situations.
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