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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS‒ While taking his daily early morning swim in the Charles River, Boston resident John Smith was saved by his dog from an alligator attack.

At 7 a.m. Wednesday morning, Smith, 37, was swimming back to shore when his seven-year-old golden retriever, Hank, jumped into the river and swam past him. After reaching the shore and looking back, Smith realized that the dog was in an apparent skirmish with an alligator, who was seemingly following Smith on his swim back to shore.

After the short confrontation with the 15-foot-long alligator, a creature never before encountered in Boston’s famous river, Hank made it back to shore. He suffered a leg injury which needed 17 stitches in his leg, and is now recovering and is otherwise physically OK.

When asked about his dog after the attack, Smith said, “He’s my best friend, and I’m never going swimming without him.”

Feature Story

John Smith was enjoying his daily early morning swim on the Charles River Wednesday morning when, all of a sudden, his dog swam past him. The golden retriever, Hank, is quite athletic for seven-years-old, especially considering the fact that many dogs are unable to even swim. As Smith reached the shore, he looked back to see large splashes around the dog. Looking closer, the Boston resident saw something never before seen in the famous river: an alligator.

Hank and the large, 15-foot creature were physically fighting, although the skirmish didn’t last long. Why would the golden retriever attack such a beast? Apparently Hank sensed the alligator trailing Smith upstream, and his protective instincts told him to jump in and fight it off.

An alligator spotting in the popular river has shocked and worried many residents. Due to the high amount of activity on the river everyday by residents and visitors, knowing that a harmful animal lives in those waters can be quite frightening. Every October, the Charles River hosts the biggest crew regatta in the world: the Head of the Charles. In total, over 11,000 rowers and coxswains compete in the two-day event every year. However, the threat of alligators living in the waters could spark many issues for this year’s race.

According to reports, officials have been searching mercilessly for the animal, trying to find it as fast as they can so as to erase any threat to the general public who use the river.