Florida Dog Cooling Off in River Attacked by Huge 12-Foot Alligator

A K-9 dog in Oviedo, Florida, is recovering from surgery after he was attacked by a 12-foot alligator on May 12.

Mako, his owner, Kylee Nyiri, and her partner, Fisher Greene, were cooling off after a training session in the Little Econlockhatchee River when the attack took place, according to TV station WOFL in Orlando.

While Mako was playing with his ball, the enormous predator lunged at him in the water. The couple ran toward the alligator, grabbing hold of its tail while reaching for Mako in the murky water.

"If Fisher Greene wasn't there mako would not have survived. But he did," Nyiri said in a Facebook post the day after the attack. "He has four broken ribs [and] four to five puncture wounds."

Ten days later, Mako is still in and out of surgery, with a buildup of fluid and inflammation around the wounds from a potential abscess on his lung. His vets are also concerned that some of his bones in his sternum may have shattered.

American alligators can be found from eastern Texas to North Carolina, and roughly 1.3 million live in Florida alone, according to the state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The average size for an American alligator, as estimated by the Smithsonian's National Zoo, is 8.2 feet for females and 11.2 feet for males. Any alligator over 4 feet is considered a threat to pets, people and property.

Alligators are fierce predators, with a bite force equal to the strength required to lift a small truck, according to Florida State University. Their mouths can contain all sorts of bacteria, which can enter into bite wounds and cause serious infections.

Mako and Nyiri work together as part of an explosives detection team at Florida's Port Canaveral. However, since the attack, neither of them has been able to return to their jobs. "I am $21,000 into this nightmare with poor Mako," Nyiri said.

To help fund Mako's medical fees, Nyiri has started a GoFundMe page, which has received more than 335 donations. "Thank you to everyone that has donated," Nyiri said. "It is helping me more than you know.

To keep your pets safe, it is best to avoid areas with heavy vegetation around water since this is where alligators like to hide. Also, if you are walking through a swampy habitat, keep your dog on a leash and stay at least 20 feet away from the water's edge.