Dog stranded on remote island in Charlotte County after apparent alligator attack

The story of a dog’s survival has everyone asking the same question. How in the world did it get there?

A Facebook post said an alligator attacked the dog in Port Charlotte and then ran off. Animal control is currently focusing on getting the dog back home to its owner.

It was an all-hands-on-deck effort; people used kayaks and drones, and it is still somewhere out here.

The Charlotte County community is helping to get the dog back home.

“We did a patrol. We could not locate the dog. [We] believe one person used a kayak, one person used a drone, [but] no one could find the dog,” said Brian Jones with Charlotte County Animal Control.

Jones said people came out for the golden retriever because, based on the Facebook post, what he’s heard is: “Apparently, there is a dog that somebody witnessed being taken down by an alligator underwater, coming back up and swimming to an island in the middle of this body of water. We’re not sure if any of that was true.”

You’d think the dog is in bad shape.

“We have since located the dog and the owner. Now it is on land and doesn’t appear to be injured in any way,” said Jones.

Animal control said they are planning on putting a trapper at the owner’s home, but as of right now, the dog is still on the loose.

Animal control told us that the dog was adopted just a week ago, so it may have difficulty coming home.