A CROCODILE has been spotted eating a small dog in a Florida canal, causing horror and upset among residents.

The creature ate a pet pug while locals looked on in horror.

Members of the community are now calling for increased safety measures in the area.

The incident happened near Lake Shepherd, about 15 miles south of Cape Canaveral.

“It had this dog’s front leg in his mouth, and the dog was just completely limp, so he had clearly already drowned,” Robert Pettit told local Fox affiliate WOFL.

“When I saw the dog, I was like, that’s someone’s pet, and they don’t even know what happened to it yet, so it was hard to see,” another witness, Eric Sedej told the publication.

Sedej recalled how the crocodile carried the pug around for hours before going underneath a dock.

Crocodiles are rare in the area surrounding Lake Shepherd, but warm weather has been said to be attracting them to the area.

“This thing is a ‘frickin’ danger to the neighborhood. That’s terrifying,” Sedej continued.

The incident is an important reminder to keep a close watch on small children and pets in areas prone to crocodiles.

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Last July, two Americans were mauled by a crocodile at a popular vacation resort in Mexico.

Monday’s attack left an identified man, 24, and his friend, 30, both thought to be from Illinois, needing hospital treatment.

The younger man is thought to have been attacked by the crocodile while swimming at Bocanegra beach.

His friend was injured after jumping to his aid, according to local reports.

Nevada native Kiana Hummel, 18, was swimming in the ocean near her Marriot resort in Puerto Vallerta last July when she was attacked.

The 12-foot-long crocodile jumped out of nowhere and grabbed her right leg, she said.

Hummel said she was almost out of the water when the croc grabbed her left ankle and dragged her back underwater.

She said: “I didn’t think I was getting out that second time. That was just really bad.”

Finally, the group of people that gathered was able to get the croc off of Hummel and bring her to safety.

She suffered extensive muscle and tissue damage down to the bone, according to reports at the time.