WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — A family dog is recovering after a terrifying encounter with an alligator that nearly cost him his life.
Zeus, the Al-Khatib family’s beloved German shepherd, suffered serious injuries during a surprise alligator attack Monday evening. The dramatic incident unfolded when Zeus was in the backyard of his Wesley Chapel home.
“Thinking that Zeus was gone for a second was heartbreaking. He’s our baby,” Susan Al-Khatib said, emotionally recalling the chaos of that night.
Before the attack, Zeus was healthy and full of life. The after images, however, tell a much different story. His jaw is now wired shut, he wears a muzzle, and he bears multiple puncture wounds to his neck.
The attack began when Susan’s father was sitting on their patio and Zeus heard an animal rustling nearby. Moments later, an alligator ripped through their fence and dragged Zeus headfirst into the water behind their home.
“I heard everything from my room. I came running downstairs. My dad came into the house yelling, ‘Zeus just got taken by the alligator! Zeus is gone!’” Susan said.
Covered in blood, Zeus somehow managed to swim back to land and was rushed to an emergency vet. The trauma he suffered is severe — a displaced jaw and deep wounds from the gator’s bite.
“I heard Zeus in my room, crying out in pain like I never heard him before — and then I didn’t hear him anymore,” she said.
Zeus now faces a lengthy recovery. He will need to wear a muzzle for four to eight weeks and undergo surgery to remove the wires in his jaw once the swelling subsides.
“I was crying so much that first day. I’m just happy he’s alive,” Susan added.
While the family focuses on Zeus’s healing, the alligator that attacked him remains at large. Al-Khatib says she called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office responded to investigate.
But with the gator still in the area, the family fears another attack could happen.
“He’s like our kid. We joke that he’s my dad’s son, our brother — one of the Al-Khatibs,” Susan said with a bittersweet smile.
The family hopes officials will act quickly to prevent any further incidents.