An Attack On The Charles River — Hard News

John Smith, a Boston resident and frequent swimmer in the Charles River, was saved from an alligator attack by his beloved 7-year-old Golden Retriever, Hank. Early wednesday morning as Smith, 37, was approaching the shore, Hank jumped into the river and past Smith. It was only when Smith was safely on shore that he realized Hank had jumped into the river to fight off the alligator that had been trailing Smith. The alligator, swimming upstream, was 15 ft long and did not fight with the dog for long. Hank made it back to shore needing 17 stitches in his back left leg but was otherwise okay. Lucky for both Smith and Hank, there was only one gator. Additionally alligator attacks in the Charles River are extremely rare, which makes the situation that much weirder.

When asked about the attack later on Smith said, “Hank is my best friend and I would never go swimming without him.” Smith has had Hank since he was a puppy and as displayed this morning, their bond is something worth fighting for.