Gunshot couldn't save dog

A 15-year-old girl and her 5-year-old brother were walking their small Japanese Chin about 7:30 p.m. when the dog was attacked and killed. Now, the Nebraska Humane Society is trying to locate the owner of the pit bulls that killed it.

The kids were in the 3400 block of North 42nd Street when two pit bulls running loose in the neighborhood attacked their dog, said Mark Langan, the Humane Society's vice-president for field operations.

The pit bulls dragged the Chin into a nearby garage.

The girls' father came out of their house with a handgun and fired at least one shot into the air. The pit bulls ran off and later were located by the Humane Society. The dogs had no identifying tags or microchips.

“We are unsure as to who the owner is,” Langan said.

When found, the owner faces a possible ticket on suspicion of harboring a dangerous animal, not licensing the dogs and improperly restraining them.

“It's just another example of an irresponsible dog owner not having control over his dogs,” Langan said. “We see it way too much.”

Whether or not the owner is found, the animals likely will be euthanized.

“They are a danger to the community,” Langan said.