A woman is being hailed as a hero after leaping onto a six-foot alligator to save her beloved dog from its jaws. The terrifying encounter unfolded in just seconds near a lake behind her Tampa home, but her quick thinking made all the difference.
Kim Spencer was walking with her dog, Kona, when she spotted something moving in the water. Before she could react, the alligator lunged from the lake and clamped its jaws around Kona’s head.
“She’s facing it, it’s facing her, and it jumped out and got her,” Spencer said. “Her whole head was inside its mouth. I stopped thinking and just dove on it, jumped on it and straddled it, as lady-like as that is, and was trying to pry its jaws open.”
Spencer, who describes Kona as her baby, refused to let the alligator win. Acting on instinct, she grabbed the gator from behind and wrestled it until she could force its jaws apart.
“Its back was to me, so it made it easier to jump on,” she said. “We just got lucky, because just as quickly as it ran after us, it ran back into the water and we were out of there.”
Both Spencer and Kona required stitches for their injuries, but they’re now recovering at home. The emotional toll is still fresh, but Spencer is thankful she had the strength and courage to act when Kona needed her most.
“We’re empty nesters. She’s my baby,” Spencer said. “I wasn’t ready to take on that mindset of an animal versus a human. It was just my instinct to get her back.”
The encounter has prompted renewed warnings from local officials and residents to remain vigilant around bodies of water, especially in areas where wildlife and residential communities overlap. Feeding wildlife, including alligators, is both illegal and dangerous, as it can encourage aggressive behavior and reduce their fear of humans.
Spencer’s story is a reminder of how quickly things can go wrong in familiar settings. Had she not been right there, Kona might not have survived.
“It could easily happen to anyone, and you might not be that lucky to get your child or your pet back,” Spencer warned.
Thanks to her bravery, Kona is alive and healing, and the bond between the two is now stronger than ever.
Toledo, United States.