You often read about a dog's heroic efforts in rescuing people or sniffing out bombs. Sometimes man’s best friends need a little help themselves. This was the case in Florida on Friday, May 12, 2023.
Fisher Greene, his girlfriend Kylee Nyiri, and Kylee's dog Mako were enjoying a day at Riverside Park in Oviedo, Florida. The park sits on the Little Econ River. A 12-foot alligator attacked Mako, and Fisher battled the reptile to save the dog's life. Mako is now in critical condition but proving to be a fighter.
Oviedo city officials spoke out about this scary situation. “Staff was notified of the incident on Saturday and FWC was contacted to come and trap the gator,” they explained. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers worked hard and were successful in trapping the alligator. “It appeared to be about 12 feet long,” they added.
Kylee created a GoFundMe page to help pay for Mako's medical expenses, which are substantial. Her updates give some insight into the incident.
More from LittleThings: Florida Woman, 36, Robs Holocaust Survivor, 87, Of $2.8 Million After Meeting On An App
Mako is 3 years old and a Belgian Malinois. “He is my world. He loves all people and is just a happy go lucky dog,” Kylee writes. She and Mako work together at Port Canaveral as an explosives detection team.
After he was attacked, Mako was rushed to an emergency vet clinic. “The amazing staff has worked miracles,” Kylee gushes. Mako had “5 punctures wounds, 3 broken ribs & a mild hemothorax.” He was rushed into surgery.
Mako is fighting hard to make a full recovery, but he is not out of the woods yet. “The vets are in shock he’s alive but they are saying he’s a total badass in all this,” Kylee says.
Two updates on the GoFundMe tell supporters that Mako is still in the hospital being closely evaluated. He is having fluid buildup that the vets are trying to get to the bottom of. The next steps seem to be hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Unfortunately, Riverside Park is known to have alligators, and there are signs around the park warning visitors of their presence, according to Lisa McDonald, communications manager for Oviedo.
“Dog owners are highly discouraged from walking their pets near any body of water due to the dense alligator population, especially during alligator mating season,” she advised.
We hope Mako makes a swift recovery and avoids alligators in the future.
