North Carolina Man Jumps into Pond to Save His Dog from an Alligator
He heard his pup in trouble… and dove straight into an alligator-infested pond with nothing but a rake. Meet the North Carolina man who risked it all to save his dog — and lived to tell the wild story.
6/24/20251 min read
When it comes to man’s best friend, some people will do anything — even go toe-to-toe with an eight-foot alligator.
Earlier this month in Southport, North Carolina, Bonner Herring became an instant hero when he dove into a pond to save his dog, Strike, from a gator attack. Yeah, we’re talking full-on Florida-style gator wrestling — but in North Carolina.
Herring was working in his yard when he suddenly heard his dog yelp from the direction of the pond. He sprinted over and saw something straight out of a nightmare: his dog was being pulled underwater by an eight-foot alligator.
What did he do? He grabbed the nearest weapon he could find — a rake — and jumped in. He swam straight toward the alligator, got in its face, and somehow managed to pry Strike free. As they swam back to shore, the gator surfaced again, just to let them know it wasn’t done. But Herring wasn’t backing down.
He got Strike to safety and rushed him to the vet. The diagnosis: a broken leg, but he’s alive and recovering. Herring admitted it was insanely dangerous — and told others not to follow his lead — but also said if he had to do it again, he absolutely would.
The moment didn’t fully hit him until he was in the vet’s waiting room, emotionally wrecked, when a total stranger walked up and hugged him.
Strike is now receiving treatment in Wilmington and is expected to recover.
So the next time someone says “it’s just a dog,” remember Bonner Herring.
Give that man a movie deal.