Hard News: Thirty-seven-year old man John Smith was swimming in the Charles River when an alligator started trailing behind him around 7 am on Wednesday. Smith brought along his seven-year-old golden retriever, Hank, for his regular swim in the river.

As Smith moved closer to shore, Hank jumped into the river and swam past him. When Smith turned around, he saw Hank attacking a 15 foot long alligator upstream who had been following him. Hank and the alligator attacked each other for a short period of time before the alligator swam away, leaving Hank injured. Hank had to received 17 stitches but was otherwise unharmed. When asked about the situation, John Smith said “he’s my best friend and I’m never going swimming without him.”

Feature News: It was a Wednesday morning when John Smith, a 37-year-old accountant, went to the Charles River for his regular swim. Alongside him was Hank, his seven-year-old golden retriever. As Smith began to move towards shore, Hank dived into the deep river and swam past him.

Smith turned around to see his small dog attacking a 15 foot long alligator just upstream of him. His heart began to race rapidly. The scaly alligator had been following him the entire time, but Hank had come to the rescue. The fight between Hank and the alligator lasted for a short amount of time and they both began to swim away from each other.

Hank had a small injury and had to receive 17 stitches after returning to shore. When asked about the bravery of his dog, Smith said “he’s my best friend and I’m never going swimming without him.”