It’s no secret many would do anything to protect their pets. For one man, that meant fighting off an alligator.

Two weeks ago, Bonner Herring was spending time on his 100-acre property in Southport, where he often fishes and gardens.

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“Five minutes can turn into an hour real quick,” Herring laughed.

Most days, he’s accompanied by his four-year-old black lab, Strike.

On this particular day, it was too hot to leave Strike in the car. Herring said the dog typically lounges by the edge of a nearby pond to cool off.

Suddenly, Herring heard Strike yelp like never before.

“I had my guard down. I didn’t think about it,” Herring said. “I heard him let out a yell like I’ve never heard in my life. I heard water at the same time. I knew exactly what it was the instant I heard it.”

Herring said he saw a 10 to 12 ft. alligator pull Strike far into the water.

“I was like, ‘No sir. That’s not going to happen. I’m going to get my dog back,’” he said.

Herring grabbed a nearby rake from his garden and sprang into action.

“Somehow, a voice inside of me said if you can get in there and pile in there close enough maybe you can keep that gator away, and that’s what I did,” Herring explained. “I thought I was going to fight that alligator enough to get my dog away.”

Herring jumped into the pond, rake in hand, but as he got closer, he said Strike was farther out than he anticipated. He described seeing Strike’s head poking out of the water, knowing he was being dragged by an alligator beneath the surface.

“When my leg hit the water, I’ve never felt more vulnerable in my life,” he said.

Hoping the commotion scared the gator away, Herring grabbed Strike and started swimming back to shore.

“I was just hoping, praying that maybe the gator wouldn’t come back, and finally, Strike and I started making some headway heading back to shore,” he explained. “Strike was whimpering every breath, but he was giving it all he had with his paws.”

About halfway back to shore, Herring said the gator surfaced once again.

“I was thinking we’re going to make it. We may pull this off!” he said. “And then that gator popped up just out of arms length away from us. He had to have been between us and the shoreline at some point during this altercation.”

Herring said he asked God to keep the gator from coming back for Strike, and luckily, his prayer was answered. The gator swam away.

“Thank the Lord,” Herring said.

After reaching the shore with Strike in hand, Herring said he immediately drove off to a veterinary in Wilmington. Strike had a broken femur and needed surgery.

However, just two weeks later, Strike is on the mend. The only sign of the attack? A fading scar and a slight limp in his right leg.

Though Herring has put his dog on strict orders to stay out of the water for now, it’s not lost on him that Strike could have been gone for good.

“I felt what it would be like to drive down that road without Strike in my truck,” he emotionally said. “I felt what it would feel like to tell my family I left him here.”

Herring said while some may call him crazy, “You know what? I’d say I feel sorry for you, not for not having the courage to do what I did. But, I feel sorry because you’ve never had a dog touch you enough to do that,” bringing a whole new meaning to man’s best friend.

Staying GatorWise

It is not advised to jump in the water when an alligator is present.

N.C. Wildlife encourages all pet owners to keep their animals on a leash and away from the water’s edge, as alligators do not know the difference between pets and prey.

For more details on staying GatorWise, you can click here.