Tom Martino said he and his Jack Russell terrier Lizabeth were walking along the Hillsborough River in Tampa on Thursday when the alligator wrestled the 15-pound dog into the water.
Martino started shooting into the water around the alligator to scare it into releasing the 9-year-old dog. He performed CPR on the dog until it coughed up water and started breathing again.
Lizabeth was being treated for alligator bites and lung injuries from being underwater.
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission trapper captured the 5- to 6-foot alligator Thursday night.
Martino has a concealed weapons permit.
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