Man uses handgun then CPR to rescue dog from gator

[RamboLiberal]

TAMPA, Fla. — Lizabeth the terrier experienced the canine terror of being dragged underwater in an alligator's jaws — and lived to bark the tale.

The gator wasn't so fortunate.

Tom Martino said he and his Jack Russell terrier were taking their afternoon walk along the Hillsborough River in Tampa on Thursday when he heard splashing — the alligator had snatched the 15-pound dog off riverside rocks and pulled her into the water.

Martino, who has a concealed weapons permit, pulled out his handgun and started shooting at the water around the alligator to frighten it into releasing the dog, he told WFLA-TV.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40032388/ns/us_news-weird_news/

Wow good for him and Lizabeth! Hope you pull through Lizabeth. Good use of a handgun & a good reason to carry in that area!

[Lasher]

1. God Almighty, is there no stopping these gun lovers?

Better that the dog should have died in agony than to allow anybody to posess a gun.

[ChoralScholar]

2. I hope this is sarcasm.

[Lasher]

7. Made you guess!

This is a controversial topic, but I haven't seen anyone here yet who is really that crazy.

[rhett o rick]

3. Dont you know the animal pecking order? Dog live, alligators die. nm

[slackmaster]

8. Normally, in the food chain that is a swamp, it's the other way around

That's why guns are often called "equalizers".

[rhett o rick]

9. And that gets you into "my equalizer is bigger than yours". I am betting on Mother Nature. nm

[spin]

5. The next time the alligator could have grabbed a child ...

with tragic results. That's why the alligator was declared a nuisance and will be euthanized.

Alligators are common in Florida and in general are not a problem. People with concealed weapons permits are also very common in Florida and also are rarely a problem.

[DeadEyeDyck]

6. Dog bites man-not news

Alligator bites dog - small news
Man bites alligator that bites dog - big news

[PearliePoo2]

4. Live Lizabeth..LIVE!

sweet little thing.
Doggie CPR...little tiny puffs.
Kick and a big R

[SteveM]

10. Our family reunions are held on that river...

at Hillsborough State Park. Always see alligators in that little river, as well as any water body in the state. Anyone who is small should think twice about approaching the shoreline of any water body until the area is definitely clear of alligators. If you want to see some H.M.S. Warspite-class alligators, go to Payne's Prairie, on the edge of Gainesville. Hundreds of 'gators, some allegedly 14' long.

[spin]

12. For those who don't know how BIG a 14' gator is ...

In this Nov. 1, 2010 photo provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Orlando-area nurse Robert "Tres" Ammerman poses for a photo with the new state-record alligator in Orlando, Fla. Ammerman set the new record while hunting Nov. 1, the last day of the state's alligator harvest. The alligator was caught in the Lake Washington area of the St. Johns River in Brevard County. The alligator measures 14 feet, 3 1/2 inches long and weighs 654 pounds. (AP Photo/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)
http://blog.al.com/wire/2010/11/florida_man_traps_record_14-fo.html

[AtheistCrusader]

11. Not always a great idea to shoot into water.

But it may have been done in a safe manner, I don't know. Wasn't there.

If you shoot at a low enough angle, a bullet may skip off the water, and continue quite some distance down range.