Beloved German Shepherd named Nova's haunting last moments before being eaten by vicious alligator
A beloved family dog has been mauled to death by a vicious alligator in South Carolina, and her final moments were caught on their doorbell camera.
Myrtle Beach resident Bob Carnes said their beautiful black German Shepherd, Nova, used to love spending time on the dock and cooling off in the water.
However, she went for a dip on Sunday and never came back. Carnes said his family spent hours searching for Nova when she disappeared from their backyard.
They were unable to find their beloved pet, so they checked their Ring doorbell camera and were horrified by what they found.
Footage shows Nova wandering through their backyard towards the banks of the Intracoastal Waterway.
Seconds after she disappears into the water with a splash, a heart-wrenching yelp can be heard as she encountered the predator lurking beneath the surface.
Carnes said watching the footage was 'difficult', and it confirmed their worst fears.
'We thought maybe she had ran up the road and got injured, but that was not the case,' he told NBC affiliate WMBF-TV.
A beloved family dog has been mauled to death by a vicious alligator in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and her final moments were caught on their doorbell camera
Footage from the family's Ring doorbell camera shows Nova wandering through their backyard (pictured) towards the banks of the Intracoastal Waterway where the alligator was lurking
Myrtle Beach resident Bob Carnes said their beautiful black German Shepherd, Nova, used to love spending time on the dock and cooling off in the water
'We watched the video, and it was very obvious what had happened. She was gone in seconds.'
Carnes said Nova had been part of his family for six years, and she loved hanging out with her best friend on the water - a duck.
'She wasn't just a dog: she was a family member,' Carnes said.
'She was just a great dog. She was amazing. She was a great family dog to the kids and the animals. She was full of energy.'
Carnes said Nova usually wore a GPS collar to stop her from going too close to the water, but part of her collar was broken.
He is now spreading the word to neighbors about the aggressive alligators, warning that if they can attack his strong, 85-pound dog, they can attack anyone.
'She's much stronger than my grandson or granddaughter as far as swiftness and weighs more,' Carnes said.
'They need to be very careful about letting their kids out there along that waterway. It seems like it's innocent when they're playing by the water, but it happens very fast.'
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources said alligators have killed four people in the last five years, including one man in the Myrtle Beach area
Pictured: the Intracoastal Waterway which backs on to the Carnes family's backyard
Nova the German Shepherd used to love spending time on the dock and cooling off in the water
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources said alligators have killed four people in the last five years, including one man in the Myrtle Beach area.
A 61-year-old Florida woman, Cynthia Diekema, was also recently killed by an alligator while she was out canoeing with her husband.
Officials revealed the couple's 14-foot canoe was gliding through just two feet of water at Kissimmee State Park in Florida when the gator struck.
It flipped the canoe, causing Cynthia to fall directly on top of the beast, which is when it mauled her.
Her brave husband, Dave Diekema, tried to fight the alligator off, but was unable to save his beloved wife - and he was forced to watch it make off with her lifeless body.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene around 4 p.m. and found Cynthia's body floating in the water. She was recovered and pronounced dead at the scene.
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