On Sunday, Port Charlotte resident Matthew Mueller heard a loud splash coming from the canal near his home on Burkhart Drive. When he looked outside, he was horrified to see a familiar alligator attacking a yellow lab swimming in the water.
“I’ve been seeing that same gator for over a year now,” Mueller said. “He usually just hangs out and doesn’t cause any issues.”
But that changed Sunday when the alligator, estimated to be around 4 to 5 feet long, pulled the dog completely underwater. The lab managed to escape, swimming to a small island in the middle of the canal.
Mueller, concerned that the dog might be injured, immediately turned to Facebook for help, asking the community to assist in finding the dog and its owner.
The response was overwhelming. A stranger from Indian Creek even drove two hours to help with the rescue.
“I had my machete, pistol, lights, wetsuit, pretty much anything that would be needed to defend myself or try to grab the dog with the rope,” said volunteer John Baione.
A group of about a dozen people, using kayaks, searched the small island for the dog. While they’ve spotted him, the lab remains too scared to come close.
Rescue efforts are ongoing, with a local rescue team called Rescue Garage setting up trail cameras and food for the dog. They hope to lure him into a trap and bring him to safety. They are asking volunteers to stop searching for the dog because it is scaring it more.
Charlotte County Animal Control said they've done patrols in the area and have had no luck finding the dog.
NBC2 spoke to the dog's owner. The owner rescued the dog named "Jax" from a shelter on Saturday. The shelter advised the dog's new owner that it loves to swim and go in the woods. Shortly after taking the dog to its new home the owner said it escaped.
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