A Florida woman and her puppy are recovering after surviving a harrowing alligator attack.

The incident unfolded earlier this month in Paso County, as reported by FOX 13 Tampa Bay. Danie Wright recounted to the local news outlet that while she was walking her small, 4-month-old puppy, Dax, behind her residence, they were unexpectedly attacked by a wild animal.  

Wright said her family has lived at the location for roughly 20 years, and had never seen an alligator there before.

“I rarely ever walk him back here,” she explained. “He was on a leash, but then I heard a squeal and felt a sudden tug.”

She believes the gator grabbed onto the dog’s AirTag collar. 

“It seemed like the animal had grabbed him by the throat,” she described. “It was alarmingly close—about a half centimeter—from puncturing his throat, which could have been fatal.”

The alligator involved was about five feet long, dog owner Danie Wright told the local TV station.  (FOX 13 Tampa Bay)

Wright used her free arm to rip the five-pound puppy out of the alligator’s jaws, and threw him onto the steep bank. 

“But my left arm was in the alligator at this point,” she said, realizing she had to fight for her own life.

“I managed to flip him over with my left arm in his mouth and threw a couple of punches, even using my elbow to strike, and hit him just right, loosening his grip enough for me to free him,” the alligator attack survivor recounted. 

Wright called 911 for help, which included a trapper that captured the gator. 

“Put your phones down,” she said. “I was on my phone, standing here, facing the other way of him with a creek behind me.”