A Florida man punched an alligator in the face to save his dog from being attacked

• Trent Tweddale was on a walk on his farm in Wesley Chapel, Florida, with his dog, Loki, when the alligator attacked.
• He said Loki had his front paws in a river when the gator jumped out and tried to pull the dog into the water.
• Tweddale said he ended up in a "tug-of-war match with this gator" as he tried to save Loki.
• Loki survived the attack, but he had to have a leg reconstructed with metal plates and screws

A man in Florida says he saved his 6-year-old dog named Loki from an alligator attack by punching the reptile in the face.

Trent Tweddale, an Army veteran, told WFLA that he and Loki, a rescue dog, were on a walk near a river on his farm in Wesley Chapel, Florida, when the incident occurred.

He said Loki had his front paws in the water when a 12-to-13-foot alligator jumped out and tried to pull him underwater.

"I grabbed the dog's collar to try to pull him back, and I ended up in a tug-of-war match with this gator, and the gator was not letting go," Tweddale told WFLA. "So I let go of the collar, and I got about knee-deep into the water and started pounding on the gator's head until he eventually let go."

He said that Loki was seriously injured in the attack and that one of his legs "was just hanging by a shred." Tweddale himself experienced only minor scratches.

Loki was taken to a nearby veterinarian, where he had to have a leg reconstructed with metal plates and screws.

"We're hoping that he can regain full use of his paws after this," he told WFLA.

After the attack, Tweddale contacted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, who helped him put up a trap for the gator.

"We love our dog a lot and I'd fight tooth and nail for him," Tweddale said.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, it's currently mating season for alligators in the state, a time in which the reptiles can act more aggressively. Mating season usually lasts from April to June.

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