The Bentley family said they knew something was wrong Monday morning when they could not find their dog. 

They went looking in the woods behind their home on Glen Ethel Lane in Longwood.

“I came across a large black bear, probably 600 pounds. I walked up to it, probably about 10 feet from it and it still wouldn’t move. I kept making noise at it, and then it slowly walked away – and there was my parents' dog,” said David Bentley.

The Bentley’s 5-year-old Yorkie named Toby was dead.

“It was pretty bad knowing that I had to bring the dog back here for my mother and father to see. That dog meant the world to them,” said Bentley.

The family said Toby was in an area close to their house near their garage when the attack happened. They said they didn’t even hear a bark. They believe the bear came up quickly and then dragged the Yorkie nearly 200 feet back into the woods behind their home.

“It was laying on it like it was prey. It wasn’t a bag of trash it dragged off. It was a live dog,” said Bentley.

The family said they saw a total of three black bears in the woods. Florida Fish and Wildlife biologists set up a trap behind the Bentley’s home Monday afternoon.

The Bentleys shared video they took recently of a large black bear breaking through their screened-in pool deck. They said bears have been showing up a lot more lately and are concerned about the family's safety.

“My little nephew is the same size as the dog that was killed, so it could’ve easily been him,” said Bentley.

Florida Fish and Wildlife is currently considering several long-term measures to control the black bear population and prevent attacks. One of those is a limited black bear hunt, which could happen as early as this fall.