Searched Dowling didn’t expect to see a man carrying his Labrador Java on the shoulder when she went to the Park Dog Leg last Friday, may 17. But she immediately realized that something is wrong.
«Maybe he’s just resting,» said her friend.
Then they saw a man put the dog on the ground, and his clothes were covered with blood.
This man was a 36-year-old Andrew EPP, who suffers from mental illness. It turned out that his dog, who provided emotional support, was attacked by the alligator that roamed the area.
Service dog mauled to death by gator outside Palmetto dog park — WFLA https://t.co/QzDdkSbKNU https://t.co/GA5oXyiqcm #dogs #animals #4pawshop #labrador pic.twitter.com/wEzGeAIla5
— Manfred Rosenberg (@4PawShop) May 24, 2019
According to members of his family and friends, the tragic death of Java has affected the app so much that he could not survive the loss and committed suicide the next day after the incident.
According to the page on GoFundMe, friends and family described the app as «a gentle, beautiful soul.»
«He loved walking in the fresh air, fishing, camping, gardening and animals. Unfortunately, Andrew also struggled with mental health issues and after the battle of life early on the morning of may 18, 2019 committed suicide,» reads the description on GoFundMe.
The community stated that this was not the first tragedy faced by the family of the EPP. In Telecom October 1980, the older sister of the guy died in five years because of a brain tumor. In March 2005, his older brother Paul had also committed suicide, and in December of 2018, his father died because of illness.
«We’re raising money to help the family with the last expenses and to help carry mom, Andrew and Donna live with their children, since Andrew’s death left her alone,» — said on GoFundMe.
Andrew EPP had committed suicide after the death of Labrador Java
Tim Todd, a frequent visitor of the Park at Buffalo Creek (FL) the past five years, says he knows of at least another three dogs, which ate the alligators in the area.
«Most people, if they knew they were so close to the swamps and alleys, they wouldn’t have gone there», she said.
Due to its demand in the district, warning signs about snakes and alligators were installed at the beginning of this week.
«My goal was just to make sure this does not happen with anyone else,» stressed Todd.
According to the representative of the Commission for the protection of fish and wildlife (FWC), while the alligator that attacked Java, was not caught.
FWC manages the regional programme for the catch alligators in Florida (SNAP). In 2018, SNAP 14 has received 739 complaints about alligators and caught 8 139 these animals.
