Chance Allison has shared a heartwarming update about his late girlfriend’s beloved dog.
The Orlando man posted on Facebook Tuesday about Brittany Clark’s German Shepherd, Hokie, fulfilling her dying wish that he care for the pet. Clark, 31, was fatally attacked by a 13-foot alligator while swimming in a Florida river during a trip to Little Big Econ State Forest in Central Florida on June 28.
“Figured everyone could use a puppy update,” Allison posted on Facebook Tuesday, along with pics of Hokie and his own Pitbull-mix dog, Bulma.
“Hokie and Bulma have been the best company I could ask for.”
“They surely love to hang there [sic] heads out the windows for all the sight and landfills haha,” he continued in the post.
The couple had been hiking with friends when they stopped to swim with their dogs, according to wildlife officials. Clark was in about three feet of water when the gator bit her.
Allison had tried to save her. The gator grabbed Clark by the arm and began a “death roll,” according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report. Allison went after the alligator, but it took him and Clark underwater before releasing her momentarily, then biting her other arm.
She died on the way to a hospital.
Additionally, reports said that Shady and Hokie were Clark’s much-loved dogs who had accompanied the group on their fateful hike. Allison had promised to look after them.
The FWC matched Clark’s DNA to the 13-foot alligator found at the incident location, the agency announced last week. Bite marks had already been matched to one of two alligators removed by trappers after the attack near the Barr Street Trailhead.
“The FWC extends its deepest sympathies to the victim’s family and loved ones,” the agency wrote in a statement. “Our thoughts are with you during this difficult time.”
Meanwhile, an online fundraiser has been established to help transport Clark’s remains to California, where she was from.
In the viral moment that preceded this update, Clark used some of her last breaths to ask Allison to look after Hokie after the attack. The boyfriend has now made good on that promise, sharing photos of the two dogs together. The post offered a rare moment of light amid devastating grief.
The attack has drawn national attention to alligator dangers in Florida waterways. FWC encourages anyone with concerns about alligators to call the Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR.
Allison’s Tuesday post did not mention any plans beyond continuing to care for both dogs together.
The investigation by Florida wildlife officials remains ongoing.