ROODHOUSE — Nancy Edwards was horrified by what she saw last Saturday outside her back door.
She said she watched helplessly as her 3-year-old Yorkshire terrier/dachshund mix dog was attacked and killed by a bullmastiff dog police said got away from its owner.
Fighting back tears, Edwards said she wants a small-breed puppy to replace her dog, Pokey, and made a plea to owners of big dogs that may be aggressive to be more careful.
“Anyone who has a … dog should know how fast they can harm a person or another animal,” Edwards said.
Edwards had let Pokey out about 6:30 p.m. Saturday to “do his business.”
“He was on his chain, which was about 8 feet long, when I heard him bark,” Edwards said. “He barked when it was time to come in. I went to the back door and a bullmastiff dog was [on top of] Pokey.”
Two men and two women tried to get the larger dog off Pokey, who weighed about 10 pounds.
“One of the women came over and pulled on the big dog’s collar to try and get him off Pokey, but he wouldn’t let go,” she said. “He had Pokey in his mouth and was shaking him.”
Despite the efforts, the big dog ran off with Pokey in its mouth. A Roodhouse police officer later found Edwards’ dog dead.
“I got Pokey when he was about 6 to 8 weeks old,” Edwards said. “He was just a happy dog. He slept with me every night. He was very protective of me.”
The bullmastiff’s owner has been cited on a charge of running a dog at large, according to police.
“The dog was wearing a harness,” Roodhouse Police Chief Kyle Robison said. “However, according to the owner of the dog, the dog got out of the house by accident.”
Robison said pet owners in Roodhouse are required to keep all dogs on a leash or in a kennel at all times. He said the bullmastiff is scheduled to be euthanized.
“This is unfortunate for both parties involved,” Robison said. “However, it is especially unfortunate for the Edwards family, who lost their family dog.”
He said the owners of the larger dog were remorseful and were cooperative throughout the process.
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