Hope the dog survives after rescue from gator's grip
(My Fox Tampa Bay) - A nine-year-old dog named Hope escaped certain death when her owner and another man jumped into a pond and freed her from the mouth of a gator.
About two weeks ago, like many days, Hope tagged along as her owner, Lori Beiswenger, worked on their golf course, Point O' Woods Golf Club.
Lori was busy replanting a row of bushes along a tee box, and Hope was resting down by the water when it happened.
"I heard a scream," Lori said. "Just the worst scream I had ever heard."
A seven-foot gator had ascended from the depths of the pond, raced onto the grass, grabbed Hope, and dragged her back into the water.
"They rolled off into the water, and it was just an adrenaline rush. I didn't know what I was doing, I just went after them," Lori said.
Now neck-deep in the murky pond, Lori tried grabbing the gator by the tail, hoping it would release Hope.
"When I pulled him back, he let loose of the dog and turned at me as if to say, 'what are you doing lady? You're interrupting my lunch’,” Lori joked.
After her unsuccessful attempt at rescuing Hope, Lori screamed for help.
Jodie Daniels heard that scream and Hope's screeching yelp from across the golf course.
He rushed toward them.
"It was very emotional and at that point, I knew that I had to do something," Jodie said.
Armed with a seven iron and a shovel, Jodie jumped in and grabbed Hope.
As I reached to grab her and pull her out, the gator still had its jaws around her from the right-hand side," he said.
The gator loosened its grip and turned its attention to Jodie.
"I started falling backwards, I tossed Hope as far as I could and then hit the gator on top of the head with the shovel," Jodie said.
Now out of the water and bleeding, Lori and two neighbors rushed Hope to the hospital.
After surgery and several stitches, she's going to be okay.
"We all came out alive, so it was actually a good day," Lori said.