LITTLETON, Colo. (KDVR) — A grieving pet owner is sharing his story exclusively with NewsNation affiliate KDVR after a dog jumped out of a moving car and attacked and killed his little dog over the weekend.

Curtis Kameyama and his dog walked the same path in their neighborhood for years. They enjoyed passing by the King Soopers and back to their community where little Harley would play with other dogs. 

“He had tons of friends, the other dogs, everybody loved Harley,” Kameyama said. “He’d want to go in King Soopers. So we would. I’d put him in the cart, we’d buy something, and then we’d come back home. And that was almost like a daily thing for him. So that’s what we were doing that night.”

Kameyama and an eyewitness, Anna Allen, recounted what happened last Sunday outside of the King Soopers on Ken Caryl Avenue in Littleton.

“We were just passing the main entrance there, walking him on his leash,” Kameyama said. “I heard a dog barking in a (moving) vehicle, which I’ve heard many times. And I looked and I saw the dog in the car, and all of a sudden he just jumped out. And the next thing I know, he grabbed Harley, put his teeth around him and was shaking him.”

“I couldn’t believe it. It was so vicious and just terrible. You wouldn’t wish that for anybody,” Allen said.

What happens to the dog’s owner after an attack?

Allen said the attacking dog’s owner pulled over and came to get her dog. Allen got her identification for Kameyama while he tried to comfort his dog and get him to a vet.

“I had blood all over my shirt and my pants, and then the vet came out about a minute later and said he didn’t make it,” Kameyama said.

Kameyama reported the attack, as instructed, to Jefferson County Animal Control with hopes that this will not happen to another family’s dog.

“They told me basically all that they can do is, because they said the dog had no other priors, basically give her a warning and then like write a citation and a court summons,” Kameyama said.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office told FOX31 they have attempted contact with the pit bull owner but have not been successful. A spokesperson said it is the sheriff’s office’s intention to issue a summons for harboring a vicious dog and failure to have a dog license.

The fine for a vicious dog is $200 and $50 for failure to have a dog license.  

According to the sheriff’s office, the pit bull owner has no priors on this dog. However, they found one at-large incident in 2020 with a previous dog.

Dangerous dog statute in Colorado

By statute, Jefferson County does not issue a state violation for a dangerous dog unless they have priors indicating previous aggressive behavior or bodily injury/serious bodily injury to a person.

“I’m still in shock and still trying to get over it, but I just quite don’t understand,” Kameyama said. ”I can’t sleep at night. And during the day it’s very hard, because all my time to walk him or whatever, it’s like he’s not there.”

FOX31 spot to Kristina Bergsten, the owner and founder of The Animal Law Firm. She explained that animals are only recognized as property in Colorado.

“You can’t sue to get pain and suffering for an animal or emotional distress damages for an animal,” Bergsten said. “So unless and until the law changes, unfortunately, probably the only thing that the owner can get out of this is the value, the purchase value of his dog.”