What to Know
For so many families, our dogs are like our furry children who are constantly running around with the kids or snuggling in bed with us late at night. They’re a comfort and a staple in our homes that we truly can’t picture our lives without. Unfortunately, there are a few dogs out there who face serious aggression issues that can turn deadly in a split second.
A fifty-year-old woman in Florida was fatally mauled in May 2026 by two pit bull mix dogs while walking her own small dog late at night. Her longtime partner was awoken by screams and came out to try and fight off the dogs with a knife. It turns out that those same dogs had previously attacked another person in their neighborhood.
A Florida woman is dead after a vicious dog mauling.
According to the New York Post, a 50-year-old woman named Jodi Cowan was fatally attacked by two pit-bull-and-Catahoua-leopard-mix dogs around 2 a.m. on May 19, 2026, when she was walking her own small dog.
Cowan’s partner of 30 years, Donnell Smith, heard cries of help come from outside their home and he “sprinted through the dark to save her,” per the Post. The court records show that Smith called 911 with a knife in hand to fight off the dogs as he tried to stop the bleeding from his partner’s neck.
In the 8-minute call Smith made to 911, the Post reported that Cowan could be heard in the background saying, “I’m dying. Can’t breathe.” Smith told the emergency services operator that the dogs had “ripped out” her throat.
Cowan later died after being taken by helicopter to a nearby trauma center. Her wounds included a severed carotid artery and jugular vein, court records show.
This was not the first time these two dogs had attacked someone in their neighborhood.
According to an affidavit for an arrest warrant filed within the court, Smith had previously tried to stop the two same dogs, named Max and Mako, from attacking their neighbor, John Argila, on April 14, 2026, per the Post.
During the investigation into his partner’s death, Smith told authorities that he “helped get the dogs off” Argila and told the dogs’ owner, Linda Cutler, about her dogs’ behavior, per the affidavit obtained by the Post.
Argila told investigators that the night he was attacked, he was walking down the road pushing his bike that had a flat tire when the two dogs came towards him. He yelled at them to go home, which usually worked, but this time they charged at him, the New York Post reported. He had to use his bike as “a barrier” to fend off the dogs, but they still bit him on the arms.
It was exactly five weeks later that Cowan was fatally attacked by the dogs. Cutler was arrested for manslaughter eight days after Cowan’s death.
Strangely enough, the victim’s travel trailer had 3 dead dogs discovered a few weeks later.
In a very odd turn of events, the Post reported that a criminal investigation has been opened after three dogs were found dead at the travel trailer where Cowan had been living at the time of her attack.
On June 11, deputies were called after a foul odor had been reported coming from the residence, according to a public information officer of Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. The case is ongoing and an examination into the cause of death of the dogs will be determined. The residence was under the care of Donnell Smith, per the Post.
According to News 6, Smith has been arrested on charges of animal cruelty. Brevard Sheriff, Wayne Ivey, commented on these horrifying circumstances. “Folks, it doesn’t get any sadder than this. Look at all the lives that have been lost, all the lives that have been impacted by this. It simply comes down to people not taking care of the pets they’re responsible for,” he told News 6.
It was eventually revealed that Smith had left the dogs inside his trailer for days without food, water, or ventilation, per News 6.
How absolutely heartbreaking. May all of this work as a very serious reminder to properly train, house, and care for our pets because, if not, the outcome can be deadly.
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