In a year marked with uncertainty and bleak headlines it’s refreshing to leave 2020 with a positive story.

To counter a year marred by a deadly pandemic, economic hardship, turmoil in the streets of major cities and political division, our survival story which rekindles hope for a brighter new year is courtesy of a 4-month-old puppy.

Richard Wilbanks, a 74-year-old man in Southwest Florida, had his new dog Gunner, a 5-month-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, only a week when they had an encounter with a wildlife inhabitant living in a pond in their neighborhood. The incident that rocked their world quickly went viral around the globe.

Richard had gotten a leash for his new pup but Gunner was too small to wear it and was free-ranging on their morning walk on Oct. 25. Running ahead along the shoreline of a pond near their home, Gunner was suddenly snatched by a young alligator that Richard said “shot out of the water like a rocket.”

Hearing the yelps and seeing his puppy dragged underwater, Richard’s adrenaline kicked in and he instinctively jumped into the pond. Locating the pair underwater, he was able to pry the gator’s mouth open to free Gunner.

After returning home, Richard shared the amazing encounter with his wife, Louise. Because the gator was young, thankfully the injuries were not serious.

Richard was treated for a few bite marks, and Gunner, who had a small puncture wound, was kept a day for observation at the animal clinic.

In describing his quick reaction, Richard quipped that he had Gunner only a short time and wasn’t about to let the gator have his beloved puppy for breakfast.

The video, captured by a Florida Wildlife Federation camera on the property, lasts only about a minute but has all the ingredients of a drama that ends heroically: the yelps of a frightened puppy snatched into the water and by a predator, and the reactions of a determined pet owner who wasn’t about to lose his beloved pup.

Homeowners like Richard have agreed to participate in a wildlife surveillance project called “Sharing the Landscape,” which allows remote cameras to be placed in their backyards.

The film footage offers insights into the daily lives of the animals and how they can better coexist with the human inhabitants.

William Freund, president of fStop Foundation, a nonprofit photographic enterprise focused on education, noted that Wilbanks is aware he lives in an area with active wildlife, and that a small dog like Gunner fits the profile of normal prey for an alligator. The actions captured on camera are not unusual, Freund said, and therefore the video should not be interpreted as a malicious attack on the part of the alligator.

The young gator that snatched Gunner still lives in the pond, but both Richard and Gunner are now more careful to give the shoreline a wide berth on their walks.

While Gunner’s story has gone international - numerous news outlets having requested interviews from Richard - the young pup has also received celebrity status on his home turf in Southwest Florida. For his “tenacity and fight for survival,” Gunner was recently sworn in as a new detective recruit in the Lee County Sheriff’s “Deputy Dog program.”

County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, who delivered the oath to Gunner “to uphold the constitutional law,” said Gunner will work with the sheriff’s department to help educate children about safety.

In the sheriff’s office Facebook posting of Gunner’s swearing-in ceremony, Marceno says the story has a great ending: “Gunner, our detective - a little dog - is safe with its homeowner … and it’s a great day.”

By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com