Florida man, 77, recounts saving his own dog from an alligator's jaws: 'I had my hands in his mouth'

A strong body and sharp mind gave a 77-year-old Florida man the ability to save his faithful furry companion from the jaws of an alligator — the two of them escaping with injuries, but living to tell the story as gator mating season approaches and standoffs between humans and gators hit recent headlines.

"I couldn't watch that creature kill my dog," Art Auwaerter of Moore Haven, Florida, told Fox News Digital. 

"I had no choice. I had to do something."

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"I jumped on his back, right behind his head, and I grabbed his upper jaws and pulled up to get him to let Rodger go," Auwaerter said.

Auwaerter lives a mostly peaceful life on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River, along with his wife, Terry, and his dog Rodger, a fierce-looking 100-lb. black Italian mastiff.

Art Auwaerter, a 77-year-old weightlifter in Florida, found himself in a risky situation as he rescued his dog from the jaws of an alligator. (Art Auwaerter)

"He loves the water," Auwaerter said. "When we go outside, he goes right for the river. And most of the time, I'd go in with him."

But one day last summer, Auwaerter decided to sit down and take it easy while Rodger went for a swim.

"I made a big mistake," Auwaerter said. 

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"I sat down in the middle of the backyard in the lawn chair, instead of walking over to the river bank with him. He went onto the bank, which is about six or seven feet above the water level. So when you go down the bank, you lose sight of whoever's going down there." 

Auwaerter's dog Rodger was playing near the water when all of a sudden Auwaerter heard a giant splash — and knew something was wrong. (Art Auwaerter)

A few seconds later, Auewaerter said he heard a big splash.

"I knew immediately what was going on because there's only one thing that could cause that big, big splash – and that's a big alligator attacking him," he said.

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"So, I ran over to the bank and sure enough, it's a big alligator."

Auwaerter said that's when his instincts kicked in.

Art Auwaerter and his wife Terry, pictured here — who called 911 — have been together for more than 50 years. (Art Auwaerter)

"I didn’t even think about it," he said. "You just do what you have to do and that’s what I did."

A competitive Olympic weightlifter since he was 16, Auwaerter had the strength to back up what his instincts told him to do. 

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Olympic is a class of weightlifting in which athletes lift a bar loaded with weights from the floor to over their head — and the goal is to lift the most weight possible.

"I've been doing it for a long time, and I think it makes you as strong as you can possibly be," Auwaerter said. 

Auwaerter is involved in Olympic weightlifting, which is a category of weightlifting that involves two specific lifts that are also used in the Olympic Games. He competes several times a year. (Art Auwaerter)

Without hesitation, Auwaerter grabbed onto the jaws of what Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission agents later called a 7-foot alligator — and tried to stun him into letting go of his dog.

"And he did immediately," Auwaerter said. "I'm sure the alligator never had anybody do that before, so he let Rodger go immediately."

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But then the gator turned his attention to Auwaerter. 

"I had my hands in his mouth and as far as he knows, I’m attacking him," he said. 

Rodger the dog was in the mouth of an alligator — and Auwaerter grabbed the jaws of the reptile to try and break his beloved pet free.  (Art Auwaerter)

"I remember my fingers fit perfectly in the gaps between his teeth. I could feel his teeth and suddenly he shook really violently and rolled, and he threw me off into the water, which was about two feet deep," Auwaerter recalled.

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Auwaerter said he got up as fast as he could and grabbed Rodger to get him to safety, but then the alligator grabbed Auwaerter.

"He chomped down on my left thigh," Auewaerter said. 

The alligator grabbed Auwaerter's thigh before the gator finally opened his jaws and let go. (Art Auwaerter)

"So I reached down to try to get him off my leg, and he let me go. I said, 'Wow, I'm free.' I grabbed Rodger, I threw him over the bank and I climbed up the bank and we both got away." 

Auwaerter and Rodger each sustained some injuries from the gator attack.

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"He got Rodger pretty good," Auwaerter said. "He cut him up pretty bad and I had a big gash in my leg, which was wide open. It looked terrible, but it wasn't bleeding."

"I knew immediately what was going on because there's only one thing that could cause that big, big splash."

— Art Auewaerter

Auwaerter said that he limped over to his house and yelled to his wife to call 9-1-1. 

"It was amazing how quick everybody came, between the local police and the EMTs and the Florida Fish and Wildlife officers," Auwaerter said.

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Auwaerter was taken by ambulance to the emergency room, where he spent several hours having his wound cleaned and stapled shut. 

Rodger was tended to at home by Terry Auwaerter. 

Auwaerter of Moore Haven, Florida, and his dog Rodger, an Italian mastiff. (Art Auwaerter)

They both have the scars to prove it.

Now, Auwaerter said, Rodger has a healthy respect for what could be lurking in the water near his house. 

"I wouldn't say he is afraid of it, but he does not want to go in the river," he said. 

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Auwaerter said the alligator had to be put down, since it attacked a human.

Alligators live in all 67 counties in Florida and can be found in practically all fresh and brackish water bodies and occasionally in salt water, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). 

Although exact population figures are unknown, Florida has a healthy and stable population of over one million alligators of every size.

Anyone who encounters an alligator that is believed to pose a threat to people, pets or property should call the FWC’s Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 1‐866‐FWC‐GATOR (392‐4286). 

"I could feel his teeth and suddenly he shook really violently and rolled."

— Art Auwaerter

The FWC’s Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) uses contracted nuisance alligator trappers throughout the state to remove alligators 4 feet in length or greater that are believed to pose a threat.

On July 31, 2023, the FWC received a report of an alligator bite of an adult man near a private residence in Glades County. The man was bitten while rescuing his dog from the alligator, Arielle Callender, the public information director, South Region of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, confirmed to Fox News Digital.  

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Both the man — Auwaerter— and the dog sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

"The alligator was harvested and transferred to a processing facility," Callender said. 

Whether or not an alligator is killed depends on the circumstances of the incident, she added. Alligators become more visible and active during spring and summer. 

Auwaerter has not let this incident become an obstacle for him and will continue to train while he is on the mend after the attack. (Art Auwaerter)

"When temperatures rise, their metabolism increases, and they increase activity levels," Callender said.

As for Auwaerter, he plans to continue his training. "I'm competing at least two or three times a year," he said. 

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"In about four weeks is a big national championship in Baton Rouge. Hundreds and hundreds of weight lifters are coming from all over the country to compete. In my age group, which is 75-79, there are 19 of us."

He believes weightlifting not only helped save his dog — but also is the key to success and longevity.

"It gives you confidence that you can do things and that you can do anything," Auwaerter said. 

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"And, you know, I would've done the same thing probably anyway, but I may not have been successful if I didn't do weightlifting. And for my age, I'm strong and fit."

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