When Alligators Attack

It was dark outside when 85 year-old Ruth Gay took Blue for a walk in her yard just before 9 pm. The darkness didn't bother the 35-pound cattle dog. But when Ruth slipped on the wet grass and fell, breaking her nose and dislocating her shoulder, the darkness became a serious problem. She managed to roll onto her back where she stayed and hollered for help. Ruth, who lives in Fort Myers, Florida, shares the house with her daughter and son-in-law but they were out for the evening.

Laying in the dark, broken and bruised was bad enough but suddenly the dog started growling and left her side. Ruth couldn't see what was going on, but she knew the dog was fighting something. She could hear Blue yelping and whining. He was obviously getting hurt. And then things went quiet. That something Blue was fighting happened to be an alligator. Earlier in the day, there had been three gators in the canal next to the house - only 50 feet from where Ruth lay.

Just after 10 pm, Sylvia and Albert Gibson pulled into the driveway. A wet and dirty Blue met them. "He was going wild, barking and jumping. He led me right to her," said Albert. Ruth told her son-in-law she thought Blue was dead. The couple took Ruth to the hospital where she had surgery on one shoulder and had the other one reset. Two year-old Blue had a lot of puncture and bite wounds. A vet stapled his stomach wound, cleaned up the other wounds, put him on medication and sent him home.

"He's a little dog and fast like lightning," said Dr. Terry Terlep, whose coworker treated Blue. "He was trying to fend off this animal and he's so fast he could get out of the way. It's amazing what an animal will do in a time of need. He's a pretty brave dog."

Have you ever been attacked by an animal? What about saved by a protective pet? Send us your stories.

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