This story has been updated to include additional information.
Jodi Cowan was a woman with a “big heart,” a person who loved animals of all kinds, family members say.
Now, after the Sharpes resident was attacked and killed by two dogs while walking her small dog in the early hours of May 19, they have questions about what happened and what happens next.
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office’s Animal Services unit seized the dogs but the injuries to the 50-year-old woman were severe, leaving her dead within hours after being mauled around 2 a.m. by the mixed-breed dogs
“That’s a question that’s hard to answer,” said Martin Cowan about what should happen with the dogs.
“I’m not going to throw stones but it’s tragic. I have lost my daughter. She was my little girl.”
Neighbors told FLORIDA TODAY that they had complained to Animal Services several times about the aggressive dogs, including one incident on April 14, but that the animals remained in the residential area.
“I’ve been afraid to get out of my house a few times. They just keep getting loose,” said Scott Chase, a resident of the neighborhood who had called officials twice to complain about the dogs.
“I called Animal Control and I’m assuming they came out; I don’t know. They wanted me to go through a whole affidavit process to make my complaint.”
The morning of the attack, Cowan was severely bitten and losing blood. She was taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center, where doctors worked to save her life.
Her father, who lives in Seville, Florida, received the first call about his daughter’s dire condition about 4:30 a.m. May 19.
“Her aunt called me and told me she was in the hospital. They were trying to save her,” said Cowan, who talked to doctors minutes later.
He learned that his daughter had significant bites and that she was losing too much blood. A short time later, around 15 minutes, came another call from the hospital, telling Cowan that his daughter was gone.
Jodi Cowan’s longtime boyfriend, Donnell Smith, was in shock after finding her mangled after the dog attack, Martin Cowan said.
“She was tore up, and losing more blood than they could pump in her,” ge said.
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office released limited information about the case but confirmed that the dogs were seized by Animal Services and that an investigation is active and ongoing.
According to Florida law, dangerous dogs must be seized immediately by animal control and placed in quarantine for at least 10 days. The owner has not yet been identified, and it was not immediately clear why the dogs were on the street or if the sheriff’s office had been contacted about the animals before.
No arrests have been made but Florida law — tightened in the wake of other deadly attacks — allows for the owner or owners to be charged with a first-degree misdemeanor if it is determined that a dog has bitten a person without provocation.
“She could get along with anybody,” Martin Cowan said of his daughter.
“She had such a big heart.”
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. X, formerly known as Twitter:@JDGallop.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard County woman, 50, dies after being mauled in dog attack
Reporting by J.D. Gallop, Florida Today / Florida Today
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