CASSELBERRY, Fla. – Dozens of neighbors showed up at a Casselberry city council meeting to discuss what they're calling a public safety concern about loose and dangerous dogs in the area off Secret Way after a Yorkshire terrier mix was mauled to death.
"Reese can't have lost her life in vain, you know. I just can't, I'm sorry," Cindy McGlynn said.
The owners of 6-year-old Reese held back tears after describing to city council members what happened to their dog near a public park earlier this month.
"The visions go over and over in your head, and this is what we have to do with our energy to make changes," McGlynn said.
They said Reese was suddenly attacked by a neighbor's dog that escaped its yard.
Now, they're using her death to get results with a petition for better protection against dangerous animals.
With more than 800 signatures and counting, they're calling for two ordinances to include better wording and harsher penalties for animal owners who don't supervise their pets. While both ordinances are through Seminole County, Katie McGlynn says they want city officials to take the lead.
"Our voices push the city, to push the county, to push the state," Katie McGlynn said.
"We'll have to take what they've said and what they've written and boil it down to see if there's something that we can divide from that, that we all agree upon that we can work out together," Casselberry City Manager Randy Newlon said.
The city manager told News 6 they have a good working relationship with the county to move things along.
As for the dog that mauled and killed Reese, animal control has taken it away from its owner and it has been put down.