Baytown family finds beloved dog dead in their home after neighbor's dog comes in through doggie door
BAYTOWN, Texas - "Zeke was a big teddy bear," said Enjoli Richardson. "The most loving dog you would ever meet."
Zeke was obviously a big boy, but still, his owners said he wouldn't hurt a fly.
His timid demeanor may have cost him his life.
"My house looks like a crime scene," Richardson said. "There's blood from one end of the house to the other."
Zeke being mauled to death by the neighbor's dog is gut-wrenching, and it was all caught on surveillance cameras.
"The other dog is lying in the corner, just looking at us," said Richardson.
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The most disturbing thing about Zeke's massacre, it happened in his own home.
"I never would have thought it would come down to a dog who had been here four days at that point dead in my kitchen," Richardson said.
Zeke belongs to Richardson's brother. He and his 6-year-old daughter recently moved in.
This happened during a three-hour period on Dec. 6.
In the surveillance video, you can see how the neighbor's dog gained entry into Richardson's yard. He got inside the house through the doggy door.
The two dogs were in crates during the attack.
"They had to watch all that because it all happened right in front of them," Richardson said.
After discovering Zeke dead and the neighbor's dog in her kitchen, she says she paid the neighbors a visit.
"Your dog is lying next to my deceased dog in my house," said Richardson. "They came over, she went and sat in the car, because I told her I called the police. The husband said profusely sorry about it, but the damage is done."
Richardson says it took three calls to the Harris County Sheriff's Office to get a report filed.
She says she was told she could take the neighbors to court to have the dog deemed dangerous.
"The dog is back in the backyard," she said. "Nothing happened. The dog did not go into quarantine. The dog went to the vet and is wearing a cone."
We reached out to Harris County Animal Control. A spokesperson is looking into this. But right now, it doesn't appear any action has been taken.
We spoke to the neighbors. They say Zeke broke the fence, not their dog.
They describe the situation as unfortunate and say it's not anyone's fault.
They say they did not ask Richardson to pay their $1,400 vet bill.
In a statement to FOX 26, Harris County Veterinary Public Health said,
"Harris County Veterinary Public Health responded to a call from the owner of a deceased dog who was attacked by another dog on December 7, 2023, from a neighboring property on Breda Drive in Baytown. The investigating animal control officer (ACO) went to the home of the owner of the attacking dog but was unable to make contact. The ACO left a notification on the owner’s door with animal control’s contact information.
Unfortunately, there is no current state or local law that penalizes an owner of a dog that attacks or kills another animal. The Dangerous Dog Law applies to humans who have been attacked by a dog or to a dog whose unprovoked behavior may reasonably be deemed dangerous. A victim will need to file a Dangerous Dog affidavit through a Justice of the Peace in unincorporated Harris County to initiate the legal process, if they wish to do so.
Community members can report loose dogs in unincorporated Harris County by calling (281) 999-3191."