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Dogs accused of attacking pets in neighborhood put down
FOX 35's Dave Puglisi has the story.
OVIEDO, Fla. - The two dogs that killed a cat in a violent attack along Crystal Circle in Oviedo have been put down. The dog owners chose themselves to put the dogs down.
"It is confirmed that those two dogs are no longer going to be a threat to public safety in that neighborhood," said Seminole County Director of Emergency Management Animal Services Division Alan Harris.
A veterinarian came to the home of the dogs to humanly euthanize them.
"It’s sad on both parts," said Kevin Wiggins. "I didn’t want to see his dogs go, but he made a decision."
Wiggins’ 18-year-old deaf and blind cat, Cleo, was killed in the attack.
While he’s glad the threat to the neighborhood is gone, it’s not the outcome he’d been looking for.
"Some better fencing and a more secure space probably would’ve been overall something that I would’ve looked into. Nobody wants to see somebody’s pets go," Wiggins said.
Seminole County Animal Services handed five citations to the dog owners. One of the citations includes a mandatory court appearance for failing to comply with an "aggressive dog."
The investigation into claims the same dogs attacked other neighbors' pets this year led them to label the dogs as dangerous.
Even though the dogs were labeled as dangerous, it didn’t mean they had to be put down.
One can keep dangerous dogs with strict regulations, but in this situation, the owners chose a different route.
"Now, the neighbors from the front haven’t been down this way since all this happened, so maybe they’ll be able to venture back out and make the whole loop like they used to be able to do," Wiggins said.