Sunday, Jeanne Menendez was walking her mother's dog Louie down their Venice neighborhood street. "I look to my right and the next thing I know here comes this pit bull." She says the 12-pound rat terrier didn't stand a chance. "He just came and grabbed onto my mothers dog and he just bit into him a shook him. He killed my dog."
Jeanne says her 90-year-old mother Jean Dawn is heartbroken. Louie had belonged to one of her other daughters who recently passed away. "This was just a little crate trained dog. It gave her a sense of purpose to get up in the morning. We walked the dog three times a day."
Residents ABC 7 talked to say they are concerned it will happen again and don't know if there is anything they can do.
According the Venice Police report, proper citation was issued by Sarasota County Animal Services. A knock on the door followed by large barks Monday indicate the dog is still at home.
"We don't really know because we don't know exactly what the laws are," says neighbor Diana Lucker.
According to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, in order for a dog to be declared vicious there must be two cases of the dog causing serious injury on another pet or one attack on a human.
That's little assurance for those the neighborhood, located near the intersection of Venice Avenue and the Venice Bypass. "It's terrifying. There are a lot of small children and a lot of dogs. Now we don't even feel like we are safe in our own neighborhood," says Lucker.
Someone did eventually come home to the house where the dog came from Monday. They didn't want to talk to ABC 7.
A neighbor across the street who has small children says the dog has chased him into his home and is always on guard while his kids are outside. Other neighbors say they have been concerned for awhile.
Menendez says they could use more help. "I would have been happier if they would have at least observed the dog to make sure that he didn't have a brain tumor or was rabid. I don't know why a dog would just run after and attack an innocent dog and kill it."
Neighbors helped bury Louie in the backyard Sunday, and are concerned it could happen to another pet or worse. "I just don't want that to happen to anyone."
Neighbors we talked to say the dogs owner was issued three citations after the attack. Due to the holiday, the sheriff's office could not confirm that information.
(ABC7 - Feb 20, 2012)