Rekha Muddaraj

KHOU-TV, Houston

TEXAS CITY, Texas — A woman whose four dogs killed a neighbor's beagle is suing the owners of the dead dog for $1 million.

Emerald White's three pit bulldogs and a pit-bull mix broke through the families' common fence Oct. 27 to attack the 10-year-old beagle named Bailey. White, who has since moved from the home and could not be reached for comment, said in her lawsuit that she was seriously injured trying to stop the attack and retrieve her dogs.

The horrifying images are still fresh in Tiffany Baker's mind.

"When I looked out the window, I saw my dog on her back, whimpering, and I saw two pit bulls attacking her," Baker said.

Bailey eventually was able to walk over to the side of the Bakers' house, where she died.

White's dogs were not hurt, but her lawyer said the beagle attacked White.

"The dog at that house attacked her, bit her, scratched her, injured her," said lawyer Paul Houston Lavelle, who filed the suit Nov. 10. "Her dogs attacked the beagle, when the dog started attacking her."

Lavelle said White should not be responsible for her medical bills and also said he has received threatening e-mails from people since taking on this case.

The suit contends that Bailey first tried to enter White's property through a hole in their fence, and her dogs chased the beagle back home.

Not long before the incident, Steve Baker said he had worked to replace parts of the current fence to make it more secure and safe for his dog and family.

Steve Baker thinks that his dog never went on the offense and that she was only trying to stay alive. He also believes that the lawsuit is retaliation for 16 citations that Galveston County Animal Control issued to White after the attack.

Police have declared each of White's dogs, which have been returned to her, dangerous. The animals must be registered annually with Texas City, a sign must be posted in White's yard alerting residents of the danger, she must have at least a $100,000 liability insurance policy on the animals and have a 6-foot-high fence, city police said.

The Bakers decided not to sue White though Steve Baker said several people have encouraged him to do so.

"It wasn't going to bring Bailey back," he said.

Contributing: The Associated Press