Dog owner demands change after pet killed outside Miami-Dade Animal Services

A Miami-Dade County woman is calling for changes after she says her dog was killed by another animal in the parking lot of Miami-Dade Animal Services in Doral over the weekend.

Emily Mirabal said she had gone to the facility to get new tags for her pets when her 6‑year‑old dachshund, Toby, was attacked. 

"Toby meant everything to me. He was my peace," she said. "I want to tell you that I'm completely shocked to my core. I am not myself. My face is flushed. I don't feel well."

Mirabal said her back was turned when a pit bull mix came out of the facility and grabbed her dog. 

"No muzzle, nothing, it was just, it came right out of their facility, right in attack mode to me and you know, fortunately, I was not attacked, but my animals, one of them did not come home," she said.

Witness describes chaotic scene

A bystander told CBS News Miami the area erupted into chaos as the attack unfolded. Mirabal said the response from employees left her stunned and feeling unsupported.

"You know what, do you want us to do, and I said, 'What do you mean I need you to help me? I need you to try to save my little dog, and said well we don't do that here," she said. "There was no sense of what to do in an event of any type of emergency."

Mirabal's son rushed Toby to a nearby veterinarian, but the dog died from his injuries.

Owner pushes for policy change

Mirabal said the county has not contacted her about the incident. She said she wants to be involved in improving policies to prevent similar attacks.

"But there's no monetary amount that would ever bring my Toby back," she said. "I just feel that at this point I need some peace in my mind to know that this will never happen to anyone else."

Mirabal has filed a police report. Miami-Dade Animal Services has been contacted for comment and has not yet responded.