NORTHEAST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - An elderly woman and her son are reeling after a large dog mauled the precious pet at her Northeast Miami-Dade apartment complex.
Green doggie toys lay unused inside Natividad Rodriguez’s unit at the Biscayne Gardens Apartments on Monday, days after Thursday morning’s vicious attack.
She sighed when asked about the sudden loss of her son’s small Chihuahua mix, Booty.
“Oh, my God,” she said in Spanish.
Rodriguez, who was taking care of Booty while his son recovers from a car accident, said she was taking him out for a walk and waiting for the elevator. As soon as the elevator door opened, she said, a much larger, aggressive dog came out and went straight for the smaller canine.
“The dog grabbed Booty by the neck and did not want to let go,” she said.
But the owner of the large dog, who does not want to be identified, said his pet only attacked after Booty went after him first.
“All of a sudden, the door opened, and the next thing I know, the dog is in my arm biting me, so when I screamed, that’s when my dog attacked the little one,” he said.
When asked whether his dog ended up killing Booty, the owner replied, “Yeah.”
Rodriguez said neighbors stepped in and tried to wrest the attacking dog away from Booty, but it was no use.
The attack left Booty nearly decapitated.
Rodriguez is honoring Booty by lighting a candle and surrounding it with his toys.
“He was such a good little dog,” she said.
He was adored by his family, and now, she said, he’s gone much too soon, but his memory lives on.
Miami-Dade Police was called, and officials have written a report. Officials did not immediately reply to 7News’ calls for comment.
The owner of the larger dog said he still has his pet.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.