Two dogs caught on camera attacking pets in east Orlando, killing at least 1 animal

ORLANDO, Florida – Heartbroken residents of an east Orlando neighborhood are demanding action after two dogs were caught on camera attacking several pets, killing at least one of them.

Neighbors are asking the dog owner to control the animals before another animal or person is hurt.

Heather Whitemore and her son were left devastated after their cat, Tom, was attacked by dogs early on Saturday morning.

“He really loved her,” she said. “He’s devastated that he was killed this way.”

(EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) |PINIT! Share your photos)

A neighbor alerted Whitemore to the attack.

“He told me my big gray cat was under his car and he was attacked by these two dogs,” Whitemore said. “He said, ‘I scared them off, but he’s under my car.’”

Tom, barely able to walk, was rushed to the vet.

Whitemore looked at his security camera footage to see what had happened.

“That video will stay with me forever,” she said. “He was literally mutilated. They played tug-of-war with him.”

Despite efforts to save Tom, his injuries were too serious.

“He was stable when I left him there, but his condition deteriorated significantly during the night,” she said.

She added that he had broken ribs, a shattered pelvis and puncture wounds to his stomach.

With only a 40% chance of survival and a miserable recovery ahead, Whitemore made the painful decision to have Tom euthanized.

Tom was not the only victim.

“They attacked six cats that we know of,” Whitemore told News 6.

Other neighbors reported similar incidents on social media.

Rich Ramirez said the dogs tried to get onto his screened-in patio, where his cat, Snow, sleeps.

“There was saliva in there, and it was removed,” he said, referring to the screen. “If they had gotten in there, oh my God, they would have destroyed my cat.”

Orange County Animal Services confirmed they were aware of the attacks and issued citations to the owner.

However, the dogs have not been located since the attacks.

The owner was instructed to take the dogs to animal services, pending a dangerous dog investigation.

Shelby, the dogs’ owner, spoke to News 6 but declined to appear on camera.

She said if she found her dogs, she would take them to animal services. “They charge me $750 a day every time I don’t take them. Where am I going to find my dogs? I’ve looked everywhere,” Shelby said.

Shelby apologized to Whitemore and offered to pay the vet bill. “I’m so sorry,” she said.

After discovering that the dogs had been digging under the door to escape, Shelby added a privacy fence, a pile of bricks and, most recently, an underground electric fence in an effort to prevent future escapes.

But for Whitemore and his neighbors, the damage is already done.

“There are a lot of cat owners who are heartbroken right now,” Whitemore said. “We all loved our cats, and our cats are gone.”

Shelby mentioned that there will always be risks when allowing pets to roam freely.

“You’re taking a risk when you decide to let your cats out and roam freely in the neighborhood. You’re taking a risk for every natural predator that’s here, for every car that goes by,” she said.

---

Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: