A disturbing pattern of pit bull attacks is taking a hold of our valley.

A pit bull was shot and killed Saturday when a man walking his dogs, Tom Cope, jumped into action to protect his beloved pets.

"If I didn't intervene, my dog would die," Cope said.

He says he was taking his two dogs, Sergeant and Cotton, for their morning walk when the pit bull approached Sergeant, a German shepherd, in what looked like an attack mode.

"I didn't have time to react right away," Cope said. "He lunged, got my dog, got him on the neck and he didn't let go."

Cope says he went to the house where he believes the pit came from.

The person who answered denied ownership.

Then a neighbor nearby lent a hand with pepper spray, but that failed too.

Cope says the whole time the pit bull was clamped onto Sergeant's throat, pulling at it.

The helpful neighbor mentioned he had a gun on him and Cope asked to borrow it.

He shot the dog and it died on the scene.

"Hopefully the individuals there at the house have learned their lesson," Cope said. "If you're not going to take care of your dog, you shouldn't have a dog."

Sergeant is home from the hospital recovering with minor injuries.

Las Vegas Metropolitan police say the pitbull owner was cited for charges of dog at large.

This was the third pit bull-related incident in a week.

Another pit bull was shot during an attack Friday.

Earlier in the week, a pit tragically killed a six-month-old baby. That dog was put down.