Police are investigating two dog attacks that left one dog dead in Auburn.
Officials say the German shepherd mix escaped twice early Monday morning.
Heather Burgess says her son had taken their dog out on a leash, when a German shepherd mix put their miniature schnauzer in his mouth and took off.
“And we could hear our dog yelping up the street,” Burgess said.
She and her son found their dog, Zane, lying in the street.
“I got down on the ground beside him and he moved his head,” Burgess said.
Zane died in her arms and her son feels responsible.
“He’s beating himself up,” Burgess said. “He feels to blame because he was the one out here with the dog.”
Neighbors say the German shepherd-husky mix lives in a home up the road. A family nearby says that shepherd actually got out twice Monday morning. The first time was at 4 a.m., when it attacked their dog.
“I was trying to pick her up and trying to get rid of the dog,” Dawn Chadburn said. “And the dog was biting her right on her backside.”
“I just grabbed the big dog off from her and told her to run inside,” Melanie Julian said.
Their dog is named Peanut. Her owners say they’re lucky she survived.
“That could have been us,” Chadburn said. “We could have lost our pet.”
Joshua Pratt says he got the shepherd-husky mix from a shelter.
Pratt says until Monday, Snoop had always been affectionate.
“Our family is not only shocked, but heartbroken for the affected family and their beloved pet,” Pratt said. “Although Snoop has made great strides in the time he has been with us, safety and responsible co-inhabitance are our priorities.”
“He came down and said ‘It’s my dog. It’s my dog. I’m sorry,’” Julian said.
Auburn police say Snoop is now quarantined at a local kennel.
They say he’s being tested for rabies and a judge will decide what happens next.
“I personally am an animal lover, but I think it should be euthanized,” Julian said.
“If he’s going to continue attacking, then I feel that he should be euthanized,” Chadburn said.
“I’m really torn because I don’t want to take somebody else’s dog away,” Burgess said. “My kids are feeling that pain now and I don’t want to put somebody else’s children through that.”
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