PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – A North Carolina man was fined $1,000 after his two hound-mixes attacked an 83-year-old woman and killed her 17-year-old Jack Russell-mix in Pembroke Pines' Century Village community, authorities said.
Relatives said Iris Macias, and her dog, Scooby, were out for a walk around 7:30 a.m. Sunday when the two dogs started running toward them.
According to an offense report, Macias quickly picked up her dog to protect him, but the 1-year-old dogs, named Gabe and Gavin, were able to reach him and attack him.
Macias was then knocked to the ground as the larger dogs attacked her beloved pet.
"Jumped her, attacked her, bit her and proceeded then to attack her little dog," Macias' son, Charles Macias, said.
Iris Macias was bitten on her right hand as she tried to pull the dogs away from her pet, authorities said. After the attack, the dogs ran away.
"Emotionally, she's a wreck. Physically too. She's hurt," Charles Macias said.
Police said the dogs' owner, Anthony Hart, who was in town visiting his mother, had been walking his dogs on a leash when they broke free from him.
Hart helped authorities find his dogs, who were discovered in a lake near 1100 SW 125th Ave., the report stated.
Police said Hart provided authorities with his dogs' vaccination records, which were up to date.
Despite Hart's records, a Broward County Animal Care specialist determined that the dogs needed to be quarantined for 10 days to determine they were not infected with rabies.
The dogs were released to Hart for the quarantine process, authorities said.
Police said Hart was given two $500 citations for the attack.