Family watches in horror as dog mauled to death in their own home

It was gory and graphic, a sight that will haunt John Dunnill for years to come.

Tuesday night his little Havanese named “April” was mauled to death on the floor of his condo by a neighbour’s pit bull that got loose in the hall and muscled its way through his front door.

“It was very, very violent and there was a lot of blood everywhere,” Dunnill told CityNews. “It was very, very disturbing.”

Dunnill’s sister-in-law suffered scratches to her side as she quickly scooped up the family’s other dog while escaping the vicious attack as the pit bull charged down the hallway.

“The dog is lunging, I’m turning this way to try and protect her” she explained.

Dunnill says he was punching and kicking the other dog to try and get it to release April, who had just turned 12.

Dunnill added the owner of the pit bull was mortified and willingly gave the dog to Animal Services.

“She was very, very upset and she feels horrible. It makes you upset thinking about how she is feeling,” he said. “It was out of her control.”

The dog in question was reportedly new to the building, a rescue that was adopted about a month ago.

CityNews reached out to the pit bull’s owner by phone, text and e-mail and was told “no comment.”

The pit bull is now in the custody of Toronto Animal Services and is undergoing a behavioral evaluation. It’s fate will be determined by the outcome of those tests.

The owner could also face charges under the Dog Owners Liability Act.