PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 Matt Boiseau says his 5-year-old Cavalier King Charles mix, Charlie, was attacked and killed by a pit bull while on a walk in his Phoenix neighborhood. <\/p>\n
He is now calling for changes to local law after authorities said no one would be held accountable.<\/p>\n
Boiseau said he was walking his two dogs, Charlie and Chewey, near 32nd Street and Virginia Avenue<\/a> Friday evening when the attack happened.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then we just heard a gate, like kind of like spring open. And then some kid was screaming. So I\u2019m looking at the kid. I didn\u2019t even notice the giant pit bull coming full speed at us,\u201d Boiseau said.<\/p>\n He said the pit bull clamped its jaws onto Charlie. He said the attacking dog\u2019s owner had to use a metal ladle to pry the dog\u2019s jaw loose.<\/p>\n Charlie was rushed to an animal hospital but died on the way.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was sudden and it was violent and it was grotesque and it was like right in front of me,\u201d Boiseau said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be with me for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n He said he contacted police, who directed him to Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC). Boiseau said authorities told him the incident was classified as an accident because the latch on the gate was not secured.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just made a bad situation worse,\u201d Boiseau said.<\/p>\n Under a Phoenix city ordinance<\/a>, dogs are not permitted at large, meaning an animal cannot be off its owner\u2019s property or unleashed. Owners who fail to follow the law could face a misdemeanor.<\/p>\n Boiseau said he wanted the attacking dog\u2019s owners to be cited or fined, or for the dog to be confiscated or put down to keep others safe. He said the current law is not working as intended.<\/p>\n \u201cThe law is backwards. It\u2019s encouraging the wrong things. It\u2019s protecting the negligent,\u201d Boiseau said.<\/p>\n He said he plans to contact elected officials to push for tougher laws against dog attacks.<\/p>\n \u201cI would like there to be a change in the law. This is only the first step of what I plan on doing,\u201d Boiseau said. \u201cIt would first mean that Charlie\u2019s life wasn\u2019t lost in vain.\u201d<\/p>\n Boiseau has the option of taking the case to civil court, but said he is not sure he can afford to pursue legal action.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t think of a worse way to lose a pet than to just lose it senselessly like that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Read MCACC\u2019s full statement:<\/p>\n \u201cMaricopa County Animal Care & Control officers responded to a report of a dog attack that occurred on February 27th, 2026. During the investigation, it was discovered a dog escaped the side gate of a home and a child was running behind trying to gain control of the dog before it began attacking another dog that was being walked on a leash. Unfortunately, the other dog did pass away following the incident. Our Field Officer spoke with the owner of the attacking dog, and at this time, the evidence presented does not meet the requirements for criminal charges. Additionally, there is no prior reported history at this address for a dog at large.<\/p>\n Dogs are defined as property by state law, and therefore, the loss of the dog would be a civil matter and handled in the civil court system, which the victim has the option to pursue. <\/p>\n Losing a pet is never easy\u2014especially in such a sudden, traumatic way. We are heartbroken for the victims in this case.” <\/p>\n See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it<\/a>.<\/p>\n