UMVA has learned that a horrific dog attack in Florida has left a community in shock, and the owner of the vicious animals is now behind bars.
The brutal mauling occurred when 50-year-old Jodi Cowan was walking her small dog on a dark street after midnight. Two pit bulls, Max and Mako, belonging to neighbor Linda Cutler, had escaped from their yard and began to terrorize Cowan, forcing her to the ground and viciously attacking her.
A neighbor's security camera captured the "extremely troubling and graphic" video of the attack, which showed Cowan clutching her tiny dog to her chest, shrieking and trying to flee. The larger dogs began to brutally attack and maul Cowan, eventually dragging her across the ground for quite some distance.
Cowan's partner, Donnell Smith, heard her screams and rushed to stop the attack by swinging a knife at the dogs and trying to drive them away. Smith called 911 while trying to protect his longtime love, and could be heard on an eight-minute 911 call trying to drive back the barking dogs and render aid to still-conscious Cowan.
Despite being transported to a nearby trauma center, Cowan died about four hours later. The little dog she died trying to protect escaped unharmed.
An investigation revealed that Cutler knew her dogs repeatedly got out of her yard and were attacking humans, yet she took minimal action to prevent the dogs from escaping. In fact, Cutler knew that her dogs had previously bitten a neighbor who had to seek medical treatment.
Neighbors had called the sheriff's office at least 14 times about Cutler's animals since October 2024, complaining about the dogs roaming the neighborhood and expressing concern that they might be neglected. However, investigators found no signs of neglect at Cutler's home.
The sheriff's office fumed at the suggestion that they hadn't taken appropriate action, revealing that animal services officers issued at least five citations to Cutler with hundreds of dollars in fines. However, under Florida's laws, even after a second bite, a dog still can't be seized by animal enforcement officers if the bite isn't severe.
Cutler, 29, was arrested eight days after the mauling and was taken into custody after pretending to have a heart attack. She was evaluated at a hospital and cleared of any medical issues.
Cutler is being held without bond because she was already out of jail on another charge. Her neighbors are breathing a sigh of relief, with one resident saying, "Being her neighbor has been hell. I am praying Linda Cutler gets 15 years."
The dogs, Max and Mako, are being held by the county's animal services unit and will be euthanized, authorities said. The community can finally feel safe, with one resident saying, "We don't have to worry anymore about the duo that used to 'terrorize' us."
