Man, 69, mauled to death by neighbor's dogs, loved ones left with their "heart in pieces"

ACRES HOME, Texas - Loved ones of a man who was mauled to death by a neighbor's dogs in northwest Houston are left heartbroken.

A relative of the 69-year-old man told me her "heart is pain and in pieces" after a neighbor's dogs in the Sheraton Oaks Sub-division in Acres Homes somehow came through a hole in the fence and attacked and killed the man in his own backyard.

"Oh, that's horrible," says neighbor Griff Griffin.

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Neighbors are left horrified after the man heard his dog, a poodle mix, being attacked in their backyard. When he went to save his dog, the 69-year-old realized his neighbor’s two dogs had come through the fence and began attacking him.

"Man I can't imagine that. It's very sad. I'm sorry for the family of the guy," says Rolando Vera.

A witness called 911 for help. "When they (officers) got there the male was still being attacked by a dog. The officers approached and one of the dogs charged the officer. The officer discharged his weapon one time striking one of the dogs," explains Houston Police Department Lt. Larry Crowson.

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Some people in the neighborhood say the 69-year-old who was killed had the mental capacity of a child and would often be seen outside playing with the cats in the community. 

The man’s dog and the neighbor’s two dogs, Staffordshire Terrier mixes, were taken to the City of Houston Animal Shelter and the man’s poodle was so severely injured in the attack it had to be euthanized.

The dog that was shot by an HPD officer is in stable condition. Houston Animal Control is urging residents to report dangerous dogs to 311.