Puppy Comes ThisClose To Becoming Alligator Food Until Florida Man Saves The Day

If this dog was a cat, he’d certainly have lost at least one of his nine lives by now.

Jake, an 8-month-old Labrador retriever, came perilously close to becoming an alligator’s lunch when he was dragged into a pond in Holiday, Florida, on Tuesday.

The puppy entered into a terrifying death roll with the reptile, estimated 7 to 9 feet long.

But Jake’s owner Mike McCoy dived into the water and wrestled with the gator to save the day.

“I got around, thumbed him the eye, picked him out of the water so he couldn’t get anywhere until he let the dog go,” McCoy told ABC Action News.

The alligator bit McCoy. Both McCoy and Jake needed stitches, but weren’t seriously injured.

“He’s on the mend,” McCoy said of his pup.

Watch the video above.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.