A Florida man put himself in harm's way when he saw his 3-month-old puppy snatched by an alligator along the banks of his backyard pond.
Seventy four year-old Richard Wilbanks ran into the waist-deep water and wrestled the croc which still held the dog in its mouth.
He said getting them out of the water wasn't nearly as tough as prying the gator's jaws open.
The Estero, Florida man sustained bite wounds to his hands while Gunner, his Cavalier King Charles spaniel, suffered a puncture wound in his belly. Both man and dog are expected to fully recover.
The dramatic rescue was captured on a surveillance camera.
Wilbanks, who understands he lives "on a shared landscape" said he doesn't want the alligator caught or killed.