Woman leaps into pond and wrestles 7ft alligator with her bare hands in successful bid to rescue her pet dog from reptile's jaws

• Lori Beiswenger heard nine-year-old dog, Hope, 'screaming' from pond
• She jumped in and grabbed the alligator's tail while neck-deep in water
• After pulling on gator's tail three times, the reptile finally let go of Hope
• Dog suffered severed artery, was treated at vet's and is now back home
• The attack occurred at  Point O'Woods Golf Course in Inverness, Florida
• 'It was the dumbest, bravest thing I have ever done,' says devoted owner

Trapped in the jaws of an enormous alligator, Hope the dog seemed likely to die.

But then her devoted owner came to her rescue - by wrestling the reptile with her bare hands.

Without a second thought, Lori Beiswenger plunged into a pond and grabbed the 7ft gator's tail. She then started yanking on the tail, while neck-deep in water, in a bid to save her stricken pet.

Three tugs later, the gator finally let go of nine-year-old Hope.

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Life-saving leap: Lori Beiswenger plunged into a pond in Inverness, Florida, and rescued her dog Hope from an alligator's jaws. Above, Beiswenger and Hope today (left) and Hope with stitches after the attack (right)

The canine, who suffered several injuries including a severed artery in the attack in Inverness, Florida, was floated out of the pond on a shovel by Beiswenger's friend and rushed to the vet's.Now, after emergency surgery and stitches to her chest and side, the dog is recovering at home.Speaking to Bay News 9, Beiswenger, who runs Point O'Woods Golf Course, where the attack occurred, described her life-saving wrestle with the gator two weeks ago as 'dumb but brave'.