Dog Survives FL Gator Attack After Being Dragged Into Pond Behind Home

WESLEY CHAPEL, FL — A Wesley Chapel dog survived an alligator attack after being dragged into a pond behind his family’s home earlier this month.

Zeus, a German shepherd, was attacked June 2 when a large alligator broke through a fence and into their yard, his owner, Susan Alkhatib, wrote in a post to a GoFundMe page.

So far, more than $10,000 has been raised to help pay for the pup’s veterinary bills as of Thursday afternoon.

The dog was sitting on the lanai, enjoying a moment with a family member, when he heard a noise in the yard and ran out to investigate.

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“The gator grabbed Zeus and dragged him back into the water. We rushed outside with a flashlight and were shocked to see Zeus swimming back toward us, wounded but fighting to survive,” Alkhatib wrote. “My mom waded into the water to help him out, and we rushed him to the nearest emergency vet as he was bleeding heavily from his mouth.”

The dog had a fractured, displaced jaw and multiple puncture wounds around his neck. In fact, the vet told Zeus’ family that the gator had just missed his jugular.

“It looked like Zeus’ entire head had been in the gator’s mouth. The fact that he made it out alive is nothing short of a miracle,” she wrote.

He’s recovering after emergency oral surgery and has his jaw wired shut as he heals. He’s on a syringe-fed liquid diet with another surgery planned for later this summer to remove the wires and extract additional teeth.

Since the attack, Zeus also developed a skin infection and remains on antibiotics, Alkhatib wrote in an update to GoFundMe on Monday.

“He absolutely hates wearing the muzzle and has scratched his nose quite a bit trying to get it off, but it’s essential for his jaw to heal properly. His anxiety has worsened since the incident, likely due to the muzzle, so we’ve started him on anxiety medication to help him cope,” she wrote. “Despite it all, Zeus continues to be such a trooper. He’s getting tons of love, snuggles and care."

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sent out trappers, who were unable to find or capture the gator, WFLA said.

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