OKLAHOMA COUNTY, OK -- An Oklahoma family wants their neighbor to get rid their Pit Bull dogs after they say the dogs viciously attacked and killed two family pets. The dogs are located in Oklahoma County where there are no leash laws. Authorities say they have only one complaint on file about the dogs, but say they need one more before they can officially do anything about them.
Animals are not considered vicious until they bite a person or another animal.
Picture after picture, the images are hard to look at, but they are all Tabbi Van Houtte has of her little dog.
She says her pet was attacked twice earlier this year by several pit bulls that live next door to her sister; her dog did not survive the second attack.
"They need to be taken away and put to sleep. They are vicious dogs," Van Houtte said. "Eventually it's going to be a child."
Tuesday they attacked again, this time mauling a small Toy Manchester Terrier that belonged to Van Houtte's sister Christa Meyer.
"Nickles" had been in the family for years.
Meyer says she and her husband let the dog out for a break, but Nickles never made it back inside their home.
"We walked outside and the two pit bulls were standing over the body of my little eleven pound dog," she said.
They say Oklahoma County Sheriff's Deputies told them they could protect themselves and their property.
That is when Meyer's husband took matters into his own hands.
"My husband and I were outside and they started coming toward us so he started shooting the dogs," she said. "He hit two of them and we found out last night that one of them was put to sleep that night."
The family says they talked to the owner of the Pit Bulls, but say the problem is not going away; at least one of the dogs hasn't gone anywhere.
"I am scared for my children," Meyer said. "My six year old is now scared to go outside."
County authorities say after a second offense, they can take criminal action against the owners.
The family's only option before then is to take the case up in civil court.
The owner of the dogs contacted NewsChannel 4 after this story aired.
She would not leave her name but said two of the dogs have died.
She also said she would get rid of the third dog within the next week.