florida

Richard Wilbanks, a 74-year-old man from Florida had his instinct take over when his 3-month-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Gunner, was grabbed from an alligator and dragged under the water. 

The scary moment took place in Wilbanks' backyard pond in Estero, and the moment Wilbanks jumped into the pond to rescue Gunner was recorded on a surveillance camera. The dramatic footage reveals Wildbanks waist-deep in the pond as he wrestles with the gator's jaws to free his dog Gunner from them. 

Wilbanks describes the terrifying moment to CNN, "We were just out walking by the pond and it came out of the water like a missile. I never thought an alligator could be that fast. It was so quick. I just automatically jumped into the water." He also added that opening up the gator's jaw was "extremely hard" and that his hands were left "chewed up" afterward. He also added that he went to the doctor afterwards for a tetanus shot. And Gunner was of course taken to the vet after the incident where he was treated for one puncture wound in his belly.

Thanks to Wilbanks courage and rescue without hesitation, his adorable pup Gunner is doing just fine. From now on, Wilbanks will be keeping Gunner on a leash and far away from the water's edge. 

"Our pets, they're just like family to us," Wilbanks concluded. 

Story via Insider

We hope everyone is having a wonderful (and safe) 4th of July weekend! As many animal lovers already know, when it comes to the 4th of July celebrations, the loud bangs by the fireworks can absolutely terrify those poor pups. Well, one amazing county is doing their part for their dogs and their community. The Brevard County Sherrif's Office, Florida, had county jail inmates comforting dogs at the animal care center, during the 4th of July fireworks. 

How amazing is that?

This is so wonderful for both sides. According to the original post by the sheriff's office on Facebook, "What originally started as a suggestion by a number of our citizens turned into an amazing idea to help calm our homeless pets, so tomorrow night, for the second year in a row our Chain Gang and other work crews will be comforting the dogs at the Animal Care Center by reading to them, playing with them, and even feeding them treats during the peak hours of celebration on Independence Day."

The overall goal? Not only to calm those terrified dogs during the peak hours of fireworks but to help build and "instill a sense of purpose and compassion in the inmates that will hopefully aid them as they transition back into society once they have served their time."

Just a beautiful idea all around. Kudos to Brevard County Sheriff for taking on such a wonderful initiative! 

Unfortunately, there are no surfaced photos of the event as of yet but it's too lovely of a story not to share! 

Only in Florida... As temperatures drop to unusually low levels across south Florida this week, the National Weather Service warned residents to keep an eye to the sky. "Don't be surprised if you see Iguanas falling from the trees tonight as lows drop into the 30s and 40s," the NWS said. Iguanas, which are cold-blooded lizards, slow down and stiffen up when temperatures drop to a certain level. It's at this point they tend to lose grip of trees. The NWS urged Floridians that while they may be stiff and motionless, the displaced iguanas are not dead"

Thank you, U.S. Coast Guard for being there and caring for all living things! 

Off the coast of Florida, the crew stationed at Fort Byers received a call of a pup in distress and jumped into action! 

In a dramatic video, shared on the U.S. Coast Guard Twitter page, you see the boat carefully pull up alongside the stranded pup who is struggling to stay above water. The crew was able to reel the dog onto their boat and delivery the pooch back to shore -- and back to the owner. 

Story via NY Post

You've likely seen headlines about "Florida man," but have you heard about the Florida dog? Residents in Florida were shocked to see a black lab emerge from a car that was driving reverse, in circles, for nearly an hour. Local police said the male driver stepped out of his car with it still running and the dog inside. The black lab named Max somehow changed gears, putting the car in reverse and smashed a neighbor's mailbox before the cops showed up. Since the incident caused little damage and zero injuries, Max arguably has a better driving record than most Florida residents.

You almost wish this headline was just click-bait. But unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you see it), this actually happened. A routine traffic stop turned bizarre is this week's Florida headline. A couple was pulled over in May after running a stop sign, and deputies asked them what they had been doing, and they responded searching for frogs and snakes to collect. The deputies asked them if they had any other creatures in the truck, and that is when things took a turn for the weird.The woman had over 40 turtles in a Ninja Turtles backpack, which was definitely an eye-opener. But that is not what shocked the officers. 

The woman in the truck, Ariel Le Quire, after being asked if she had anything else, promptly pulled a foot-long alligator from the yoga pants she was wearing, and placed it in the bed of the pickup truck. The pair were cited and a judge found little humor in her stunt. sentencing Le Quire to 6 months probation, 200 hours of community service, and required her to pay $500 to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. This was all for charges of possessing an American Alligator, transporting more than one turtle or turtle egg, one count of possessing a soft-shell turtle, and one count of possessing more than one turtle, per day. 

The woman was also homeless at the time, so it is uncertain how the court expects her to pay the fine. But internet ridicule is sometimes a better teacher than any monetary penance could be.

Break-ins are scary enough when there's a human perpetrator, but how about a massive alligator roaming your home at night? That's what happened to one family in Clearwater, Florida. Luckily, authorities remedied the situation before anyone got hurt. Florida gonna Florida. 

Students in Parkland, Florida, dedicated a page in their yearbook to honor the 14 therapy and service dogs that helped them get through the aftermath of the horrific mass shooting that took place just a year ago.

Story via HuffPost

Florida is the place where it's not unusual to see an alligator casually walking down the street...

Ernest Hemingway's historic home on Key West, its employees and its famous 54 cats are all safe after Hurricane Irma passed through the Florida Keys early Sunday morning.