Florida man bitten by 7-foot alligator after mistaking it for dog

A Florida man was bitten by an alligator at a motel on Tuesday morning after he mistook it for a dog. 

A man was walking outside the Warm Mineral Springs Motel in North Port at around 12:35 a.m. when he “noticed a dark figure moving along the bushes” nearby, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. 

The man claims he thought it was a dog on a leash and decided not to move away. Suddenly, a 7-foot-alligator came out and bit his right leg and would not let go. Finally, the man was able to get away but not without tearing off a piece of his muscle tissue. 

 “He attempted to get away at that point and felt the alligator rip a chunk of his muscle/tissue off,” said Sarasota county sheriff’s spokesman Douglas Johnson.

A deputy who was in the area responding to another call helped the 49-year-old man. Paramedics also arrived at the scene at took the man to Sarasota Memorial Hospital to get his injuries treated. 

“The victim has been released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery,” police added.

According to the sheriff’s office, another deputy was able to capture the gator. When a trapper arrived at the scene, the alligator was removed from the area.