SAGINAW TWP, MI -- A beagle died Tuesday after being attacked by a pit bull in a Saginaw Township pet store.

About 1:50 p.m. on Tuesday, July 3, a woman was walking into the PetSmart at 3431 Tittabawassee Road with her beagle. At the same time, another woman was exiting the store with her pit bull, according to Saginaw Township Police Chief Donald F. Pussehl Jr.

The pit bull attacked the beagle, with the pit bull's owner able to eventually separate the two dogs. As she intervened, her pit bull bit her in the hand, Pussehl said.

The beagle's owner took her wounded animal to a veterinary clinic located within the store. Due to the severity of the beagle's wounds, the veterinarian was unable to save it and instead euthanized it, Pussehl said.

Both dogs had been on leashes.

A responding police officer verified with Saginaw County Animal Control that the pit bull had been properly licensed and was current with its vaccinations, Pussehl said.

The officer issued the pit bull's owner a citation for violating the township's vicious dog ordinance, the chief said.

The pit bull was not taken for quarantine.