Karen Allar, of Mattituck, tells News 12 that she was outside with her grandson and her dog Muffin Sunday morning when two pit bulls that live in a home up the block came running down the street.
"They were face to face with me, growling, ready to attack," says Allar. "I don't want to be graphic about it, but I was covered in her blood."
The incident was caught on the family's home security camera, which shows the two dogs circling Muffin before pouncing on her and tearing her apart - right in her own front yard. Veterinarians say the dog died quickly in the attack.
Neighbors say the dogs have been a nuisance in the community. The town says it received nine calls of complaints over the past year, including excessive barking, running freely in the streets and altercations with dogs on leashes.
Police did not issue summonses because they say the owner had been making attempts to keep the dogs on his property.
"The owner had actually bought a shock collar for the dogs and they still disregarded it. [On] another occasion, he had built a new pen, but they found a way to get out of the pen and into the neighborhood," says Chief Martin Flatley, of the Southold Town Police.
The owner of the pit bulls, Jorge Torrento, 44, did not answer the door when News 12 visited Tuesday. He is facing charges under the dangerous dog provisions of the state's Agriculture and Markets Law.
The dogs are now at the town animal shelter after Torrento turned over ownership to them. It was not immediately clear if they would be euthanized.
Allar says she got Muffin several years ago from a shelter following the death of her husband, which had followed the death of her daughter the year before.
"She didn't deserve to die like that. She was so loving," says Allar. "She rescued me. Now she's gone."
(News12 - April 25, 2017)