NEW CITY, N.Y. — The Rockland County Sheriff's Office is investigating after a police K-9 killed a family's dog in an unprovoked attack in New York.

Police say the attack happened in New City around 7 a.m. Tuesday. Tom Forde tells CBS New York a nanny was walking his family's Cavapoo Ginger when the police dog attacked it.

Authorities say Detective Dwayne Defino was able to get the German shepherd off of the smaller dog. Defino took Fordes' dog back to their home.

Get Breaking News Delivered to Your Inbox

Forde says the detective should've taken the dog to the hospital instead of waiting at his home for more than an hour while it still showed signs of life. The nanny didn't have a car available and Forde works an hour away, the station reports.

His 13-year-old daughter Kristine called him at work.

"She was my best friend," Kristine Forde told the station of Ginger, crying.

Chief William Barbera says Defino knew the dog had passed and was returning it.

According to the sheriff's office, the police K-9 is an arson dog and isn't trained to attack. Police continue to investigate.