POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – A South Florida pet owner is grieving the sudden loss of her beloved Chihuahua, who she said was mauled to death by a much bigger dog in her sister's neighborhood in Pompano Beach.

The attack occurred shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday in the 400 block of Northwest 39th Street.

"It's devastating. My daughter was screaming last night. She didn't want to go to sleep without her dog," Desiree Doceti said.

Doceti said she was forced to put down her 11-year-old Chihuahua, Anastasia, after the attack that she said occurred near her sister's home.

"Before I even know it, the dog starts to come toward me. I start screaming at my sister and the next thing I know, I see my dog try to get up," Doceti said.

Anastasia had puncture wounds in her back and a severed spine, Doceti said.

She said she doesn't know how the dog, which looks like a pit bull named Millie, got on the property.

A pit-bull named Millie is believed to have attacked an 11-year-old Chihuahua in Pompano Beach, which caused the owner to put down her beloved pet.

Neighbors said it's a constant problem.

"Millie was loose because she was always loose," David Welch said.

Local 10 News reporter Janine Stanwood caught up with Millie's owner, who admitted that his dog sometimes gets loose like other dogs in the neighborhood, but said she isn't dangerous.

"She's a great dog. I can bring her out here and you can pet her," he said.

The Broward Sheriff's Office and Animal Control are investigating.

