Animal control officials are investigating an incident during which a pit bull in foster care attacked and killed a 1-year-old shih tzu in Torrance on Aug. 17.

A preliminary investigation will determine if the dog’s fate should be decided at an administrative hearing, according to Torrance police Sgt. Ron Harris. A report from that investigation was not yet available Tuesday.

If a hearing is held, the animal could be ordered euthanized or it could be classified as vicious or not vicious. A vicious-dog determination means the animal must be removed from the city, Harris said.

While the investigation is ongoing, however, the pit bull can still be adopted from the rescue group where it is being kept, based on its own rules and guidelines, Harris said.

The pit bull is living at the Ozzie and Friends Rescue in Inglewood. Nancy Jimeno, the group’s founder, said it plans to offer the dog for adoption again, though police said that process might be subject to review.

The foster owner who had possession of the dog did not respond to a request for comment. The owner and the rescue shelter both helped pay for medical expenses for the dog that was killed and have vowed to pay more.

Jimeno said the pit bull involved in the attack, named Sammy, had already been trained when it was put in the hands of a foster family. The pit bull, who was rescued from the Carson Animal Shelter, had been placed in foster care just a day earlier when it got loose and killed the shih tzu near Madrid Avenue and Sierra Street in Torrance.

“I’m still not sure exactly what happened,” Jimeno said. “I never really got the full story.”

The family whose dog was killed has raised concerns about the pit bull being adopted anew. “Sooner or later that dog will be fostered or adopted by another family again,” Destiny Espinosa said. “We want that dog out of there.”

Asked whether the deadly attack concerned her, Jimeno said: “No. He was just being a dog. Nobody knew he was going to do that. All animals are unpredictable.”

‘Like losing a family member’

Espinosa, 18, and her brother, Roger Espinosa, 17, were resting on a patch of grass near their apartment with Kona, a gray-and-white shih tzu they had cared for since she was eight weeks old.

Destiny said they let the little dog off leash for a few moments while they rested and the dog ran around them, playing in the grass. That’s when the pit bull appeared, she said.

“We didn’t hear him run up to us or bark,” she said. “The dog was standing tall, staring at us.”

Sammy the pit bull then barked and Kona cowered behind Roger, who tried to grab her but it was too late.

“The pit bull was too fast,” Destiny said. “He just got her in one bite. After that we tried to grab her but that’s when he started shaking her like a toy.”

The pit bull would not let go of Kona, who was crying out, the siblings said. Roger punched the dog but it still would not let go. About two minutes went by and Roger called 911. A woman came over and choked the pit bull until it finally let the shih tzu go.

Two men took Destiny and Roger with Kona to a nearby animal hospital.

“She was up and breathing fast,” Destiny said. “She seemed like she was in shock.”

After she was transferred to another animal hospital, Kona underwent emergency four-hour surgery. But the procedure was not enough and the little dog died on Sunday.

Kona, a one-year-old shih tzu, was killed by a pit bull in Torrance Aug. 17. (submitted photo)

Kona, a one-year-old shih tzu, following emergency surgery in attempt to save her life, which sadly was not enough. The dog was attacked by a pit bull Aug. 17 in Torrance. (submitted photo)

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“It’s like a loss in the family,” said Edna Espinosa, the pair’s mother, fighting back tears. She took days off work after the attack because she said she just could not concentrate.

Following the attack, Edna has been in touch with Jimeno at Ozzie and Friends. The family spent $8,600 on medical expenses. So far, the foster owner paid $2,000 and Jimeno contributed $1,000 with plans to make monthly payments to the Espinosas until the debt is paid off.

Most concerning to Edna is the chance that the dog could be adopted again.

“Sooner or later that dog will be fostered or adopted by another family again,” she said. “We want that dog out of there.”

In a similar case recently of a pit bull killing a dog in Redondo Beach, that dog was being held at the Carson Animal Shelter.

In another case last year in Redondo involving a pit bull suspected in multiple attacks, none of them fatal, that dog was declared “potentially dangerous” and ordered removed from the city. Owners needed to comply with 11 conditions, including keeping the dog in a secured location and notifying other cities that it is potentially dangerous.

Jimeno said she has done everything that Torrance animal control officials have asked of her.

“He’s at the kennel now until we get any interest and then he goes back to training,” Jimeno siad. “Then we’ll see what happens.”