'A frickin danger’: Neighbors worried after crocodile devours small dog in Florida canal
Crocodile devours small dog in Florida canal
A crocodile was spotted eating a small dog in a Florida canal, and neighbors are now worried about safety with the reptile still out there. FOX 35 News first reported on more crocodile sightings in the area last week and now a family is without its pet pug. People who live near Lake Shepherd say they watched a crocodile make its way through a canal with a small dog in its mouth, and they want to know what’s being done about public safety since people frequently kayak and play in the water.
SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. - A crocodile was spotted eating a small dog in a Florida canal, and neighbors are now worried about safety with the reptile still out there.
FOX 35 News first reported on more crocodile sightings in the area last week and now a family is without its pet pug. People who live near Lake Shepherd say they watched a crocodile make its way through a canal with a small dog in its mouth, and they want to know what’s being done about public safety since people frequently kayak and play in the water.
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"It had this dog’s front leg in his mouth, and the dog was just completely limp, so he had clearly already drowned, but it was just a dramatic video," said Robert Pettit who has a waterfront home on the canal.
He, and others, are disturbed knowing a crocodile possibly killed someone’s beloved pet pug.
"When I saw the dog, I was like, that’s someone’s pet, and they don’t even know what happened to it yet, so it was hard to see," said Eric Sedej who witnessed the ordeal on Monday.
Sedej said the croc carried the dog around for hours and then went under a dock, but neighbors don't know how the reptile got the dog, and that has them worried.
"Did the dog drown, end up downstream and the crocodile just happened upon it, pick it up, and swim up there to start eating it – don’t know," Sedej added.
Crocodiles aren’t common this far north but warmer weather and water are drawing them in.
"This is the first time I’ve heard of a crocodile grabbing a dog, and it’s just been devastating for I think the whole community around here," Pettit said. FWC is aware of the incident. In a statement sent to FOX 35, officers "searched the area for the crocodile and the missing dog, but neither were found. The FWC is continuing to monitor the situation."
"This thing is a ‘frickin’ danger to the neighborhood. That’s terrifying," Sedej concluded.
This tragic situation is another reminder to keep an extremely close eye on pets and small children who play anywhere near canals in the community.