Charlotte County woman says small dog killed by two pitbulls

A dog was viciously killed while its owner fought for her pup’s life in Charlotte County. We spoke to her about what she wants done to prevent this from happening to other dogs.

Sunday, dog owner Brenda Foley says two pit bulls mauled her Yorkshire terrier, Berkeley, to death while she tried to separate the three dogs.

“He’s been my life,” Foley said. “He’s been so special.”

But, now, all she has to remember him are photos.

“It was the most callous thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Foley said. “It was probably only a matter of 10 seconds, but it seems like an hour.”

Two dogs fatally attacked Berkeley on his morning walk over the weekend.

“They weren’t after me. They were after my dog,” Foley said. “I beat. I tried, I screamed.”

Foley said she knew Berkeley was in big trouble and probably would not live from the assault, but she said that didn’t stop her from doing everything she could in that moment to save her beloved friend.

“I knew he was going to die. I couldn’t do anything about it,” Foley said. “But I wasn’t about to give up.”

Foley was injured during the dog fight, getting bad cuts on her hands.

“I fought until I got injured,” Foley said. “I was just drenched in blood.”

The attack came as disturbing news to neighbor Christopher Brewer, a fellow dog owner.

“I can’t emphasize enough the remorse that I have for the woman,” Brewer said.

However, Brewer’s dogs are accused of the assault. A neighbor told Charlotte County Animal Control his two pit bulls were responsible.

“There’s no aggressiveness in any of my two dogs,” Brewer said.

Animal control came to his home once before for a loose dog. But Brewer says his roommate saw both of his dogs inside their home when she heard Foley scream outdoors. He thinks his dogs have been wrongly suspected of the attack on Berkeley.

“There’s a dog that lives over there that’s brown,” Brewer said. “I have a brown dog.”

Animal control ordered Brewer to keep both dogs in quarantine. Foley wants them gone for good and better enforcement of the county’s leash law.

“If they have big animals, keep them on a leash,” Foley said.

A Charlotte County ordinance prohibits owners from letting their dogs walk without a leash on public property. Foley contacted the sheriff’s office and county commissioners to better enforce the law and keep other small dogs like Berkeley safe.

“He will never be forgotten,” Foley said.