Snapping turtle drags ‘terrified’ puppy into creek as man races to help, shelter says

A snapping turtle pulled a “terrified” puppy into an Alabama creek as a man raced to help, a shelter said.

The man was in the Crossville area July 1 when a group heard “horrific cries” behind a home. The sound led them to the harrowing scene on the water, according to 2nd Chance Shelter.

“They went to check it out and saw a puppy being dragged by the back leg into the creek by a snapping turtle,” the shelter wrote in a Facebook post. “The man rushed down and picked up the turtle, to their surprise the turtle opened its mouth and the puppy was freed.”

After the close call, the man released the turtle back into the wild. The scared and “shy” puppy was dropped off at the shelter to start her next chapter, according to the social media post and shelter director Doug McGee.

“Giving it a name was next,” the shelter wrote. “‘Lucky’ seemed reasonable but ‘Snapper’ sounded even better.”

Snapper, a weaned 10- to 12-week old mixed-breed pup, is being monitored for worms and treated for a skin condition called mange . But she reportedly doesn’t have puncture wounds from the turtle incident.

“She, to me, is going to be a good-natured, well-behaved, hopefully adjustable dog ...” McGee told McClatchy News in a phone interview. “I wouldn’t doubt she’ll be scared of turtles.”

Snapper is on hold for a week in case an owner claims her. After that, the shelter will need more than a month to prepare the rescued pup for adoption.

“If you’ve had a bad start to your day, I doubt if it started out worse than Snapper’s,” the animal organization wrote. “Hopefully, just like Snapper your day has changed directions and good things will start to happen.”

The shelter is in Boaz, near Crossville and a roughly 70-mile drive northeast from Birmingham. More details can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/2ndchanceshelter .

Alabama is home to the common snapping turtle — typically weighing 10 to 75 pounds — and alligator snapping turtles that can exceed 200 pounds. Both species are known for their powerful jaws , according to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources website.

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