An older adult female in a casual, contemporary zigzag-patterned blouse sits on a white metal bench with a light golden Labrador Retriever mix wearing a collar and tag amidst lush green foliage in bright daylight, suggesting spring or summer. 2:36
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At 74, she fought off an alligator for her dog

For eight years, Susan Marciano had walked her dogs at a park in West Boca Raton and never seen so much as a fish in its lake. more

Nalu, her 11-year-old golden retriever mix, loves the water, so Susan would let her off the leash to wander the shore at Burt Aaronson South County Regional Park. One evening, when Susan went to bring her back, she saw a shadow under the surface.

"I still see it so clearly," she told Local 10 News. "The shape of that alligator under the water. It was so unmistakable." Before she could do anything, the alligator turned its head and grabbed Nalu.

Susan didn't stop to weigh it. "I didn't have time to think," she said. "I just picked my hands up and stepped into the water and came down on top of the alligator." She pulled Nalu free, and as she was pulling away, the alligator grabbed her hand. "I just kept pulling, and he let go."

An older adult female in a casual, contemporary zigzag-patterned blouse sits on a white metal bench with a light golden Labrador Retriever mix wearing a collar and tag amidst lush green foliage in bright daylight, suggesting spring or summer. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
For eight years, Susan Marciano had walked her dogs at a park in West Boca Raton and never seen so much as a fish in its lake.

Afterward she was in shock and only wanted to go home and rest. A friend told her to go to the hospital instead, and the puncture wound on her palm took six stitches.

Nalu had it worse. She had several puncture wounds under her belly that had to be flushed and drained, and she spent two hours in surgery. She came through it and is still getting better.

A light-colored dog sniffs near a dark red bush on green grass under bright sunlight. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
After two hours of surgery, Nalu is fine now and on the mend.

Susan calls it a miracle that they're both alive, and she has no regrets. "If I hadn't done what I did, I would have lost her, and that would have been even more horrific for me."

She's still trying to get over it. Even so, she's not giving up the walks. She plans to keep bringing her dogs to the same park, but from now on they will stay away from the lakes.

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