An alligator with a mean appetite let loose on an innocent dog. The reptile in Jacksonville, N.C., attacked an 80-pound husky and ate it.

Police found and shot the alligator that attacked the dog on Tuesday night. The incident took place in a residential neighborhood that is adjacent to a river known as Mill Creek. A woman said she was walking her dog, which wasn’t on a leash, when it was attacked by the alligator, WITN reports.

The alligator was anywhere between 10 to 12 feet long. It was found on Wednesday with remnants of the dog still in its mouth, officers said. After consulting with state officials, police officers were given permission to shoot the reptile, which is a protected species in North Carolina. The alligator was shot three times, but it’s not known whether it’s dead.

Authorities believe the alligator was attracted to the area because of ducks, which are lured by humans that feed them, WNCT reports.

Similar attacks have taken place in Florida. Two years ago, an 8-foot gator killed a weimaraner dog in suburban Broward County. Dog owner Beatrisz Duque was walking her dog along a canal bank without a leash when the alligator snatched it. After submerging underwater, it surfaced several times with the dead dog in its mouth, NBC Miami reports. A trapper later caught the alligator, which was killed, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife.

Last month, another Florida family grieved the loss of their 11-year-old black lab, Harry. Their dog got out of the Parker’s house and wandered to a nearby bay. Thinking Harry was lost, the family was told by a conservation officer that an alligator killed him.

"Just the very idea of what he went through that moment is killing me," Barry Parker told Fox 10. "I’ve had several people tell me that it was over quickly, and I’m trying to believe that. But it’s just hard not to wonder."

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