LOWELL — Carlos Steiner said his 8-year-old daughter and 12-year-old niece fear stepping outside after his niece’s dog was attacked and killed by another dog during a walk on Pleasant Street last week.

“My daughter and my niece were there,” Steiner said. “It could have been one of them that the dog attacked.”

Lowell Police Capt. James Hodgdon confirmed a child and grandmother were walking a Maltese dog on a leash down Pleasant Street when the attack occurred shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday.

Hodgdon identified the offending dog as a bully-type breed.

The dog pushed open a gate to its yard and grabbed the smaller-sized Maltese by its neck, Hodgdon said. The dog then ran off with the Maltese in its mouth. Animal Control later found the pet deceased on a front porch, according to Hodgdon.

The offending dog’s owner — who was not identified — was issued a citation for having a unlicensed/unvaccinated/unleashed dog and warned for having a dangerous/vicious dog with failure to restrain. A quarantine order was also issued.

Steiner said he was told by his family that the bully-breed dog was barking at them from behind a fence as they walked the 4-year-old Maltese — named August — down the street. According to Steiner, after the dog got out of the yard, it initially targeted his mother-in-law before turning on August.

He said his mother-in-law was uninjured.

Steiner called the penalties given to the dog’s owner inadequate considering the brutal nature of the incident. He said the dog should not be in their possession if they are unable to properly contain the pet.

“I want justice to be done,” Steiner said. “My daughter watched the whole thing. She saw the dog catch the other dog and carry him away. They (my daughter and niece) are afraid to even go outside. Their hearts are so broken.”

The city instituted a potentially dangerous or dangerous dog ordinance in 2008. The ordinance allows the city to enforce rules against dogs that have exhibited aggressive behavior.

Once a dog has attacked or attempted to bite or attack a person or has a tendency to threaten the safety of domestic animals or is involved in dog fighting, drug trafficking or gang activity, it can be deemed dangerous.

Once it is deemed dangerous, the dog must be kept indoors or locked in a pen or structure. If taken off the property, the dog must be muzzled and on a leash no more than 4 feet long. The owner can also be fined if noncompliant.

Steiner said he was told by authorities that last week’s incident was the dog’s first reported attack.

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