An estimated 11-foot shark has taken a pet dog off an Australian beach.
The rescue dog named Molly was playing with her owners around 2:30 p.m. on February 26 in Kurnell.
Her owner, Nigel and his wife rescued Molly and had taken her to the leash-free area of Bonna Point Reserve to play.
Around 3 p.m. Molly was fetching a stick in the water when she was taken by an estimated 11-foot (3.5m) shark.
“We were just throwing the stick in the water. The tide was really far out and there was a bit of a drop off [where the water became deeper],” Nigel told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Neither Nigel nor his wife could do anything to save the American Staffordshire Terrier from the shark.
“The shark was around 3.5-metres (11 ft) long, which is easily big enough to take a human,” he said.
Molly disappeared and the couple did not see her again.
“It was very quick. It just took her under the water,” said Nigel, who did not want his last name released.
Nigel and his wife warned other pet owners in the area and alerted the local authorities to the situation.
The local council has warned dog owners to keep both themselves and their pets out of the water.
“NSW Department of Primary Industries advises people to avoid swimming or surfing when it is dark or during twilight hours, and encourages the use of the SharkSmart app, which has safety tips for swimmers, surfers, divers, snorkelers and spearfishers,” a statement from the council read.
There have been a total of 14 shark attack bites in 2017, one of which was fatal; 4 were reported in the US, all of which occurred in Florida. Five have been reported in Australia, one of which had no injury.
All locations have been marked on the 2017 shark attack bites tracking map.
