An alligator attacked and devoured the beloved dog of a man in north Florida, and the man is now mourning the death of his beloved pet.
Josh Wells revealed to the Tallahassee Democrat that he and Toby, a 40 lb. black Labrador retriever mix, were on the J.R. Alford Greenway Trail earlier this month.
Josh Wells, a resident of Tallahassee, was playing fetch with his dog in June, according to a story from Fox News.
The outing, however, took a sad turn when a nearly 10-foot alligator abruptly snatched up Toby, a 40-pound black Labrador retriever cross.
At the J.R. Alford Greenway Trail off of Buck Lake Road, Wells was tossing a tennis ball for Toby.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, at one point the cherished dog was standing elbow-deep in a pool of water that purportedly acts as drainage for the neighboring home area.
Then “boom, the water just sort of exploded,” Wells said. The engineer recalled how Toby never barked or noticed that the gator was approaching.
Wells, who bought Toby for his son during the pandemic, even tried to physically step in to save his dog.
But as soon as Wells realized how large the alligator was, he released his hold on the enormous monster. The alligator that Toby seized was 9 feet 2 inches long, according to a report from Florida Fish and Wildlife.
“[Wells] said he soon realized that was not a good idea and let the alligator go,” an FWC report stated.
A trapper found Toby’s remains and brought them back to the family for burial, according to FWC Officer Benjamin Johnson.
The alligator that grabbed Toby was also located and later put to be euthanized.
At the time of the event, Toby was not wearing a leash.
Florida is home to an estimated 1.3 million alligators, which are more frequently seen in the spring and summer when their metabolisms pick up.
All pet owners were asked by the wildlife agency to keep their animals on leashes whenever they were close to bodies of water.
Wells claimed that the location he used to go to with Toby is well-liked by locals and regularly has kids playing nearby.
“There are cul-de-sacs, you’re not expecting a gator to come out and eat your dog,” he said.
Source: vt.co
