COVINGTON, Ga. — Some Newton County residents are hoping for some justice after they say two Labrador retrievers knocked one of them down during a recent daily walk in their neighborhood and mauled their Yorkshire terrier to death.

Erica Lackey said her husband, Fred, may require hip surgery after one of the large dogs knocked him to the ground before they attacked the nine-pound Yorkie named Jacksen.

She said they also are considering legal action against the retrievers’ owner who reportedly had been reported for a dog running at large in more than one Newton County neighborhood she has lived in.

A report stated a Newton County Animal Services employee investigated the incident involving the Lackeys’ dog March 30 at 7:48 p.m. The employee stated he found Fred Lackey, 67, holding his dog, which was “bloody and not moving,” and determined the Yorkie was dead.

The employee said in the report that others in the neighborhood told him the brown and white retrievers often were seen running loose. 

However, the report stated that he also met with an occupant of the house where the dogs lived. There, he found the dogs in crates, the report stated.

The report stated he later met with the owner, Amanda Kirkpatrick, at her workplace and issued her two citations for the alleged attack and two for having no proof of rabies vaccinations.

Animal Services Director Cynthia Wiemann later reviewed the statements given to the investigator and photos of the Yorkie and declared the dogs as “dangerous dogs.”

Reports from the agency also showed Kirkpatrick had been reported four other times in 2019, 2020 and 2022 for one of the dogs running loose when the owner lived at her current and another address. The dog reportedly was able to “break the fence” in her backyard to run free, a report stated.

A “dangerous dog” in the county’s animal control ordinance is defined as one that, “While off the owner's property, kills a pet; provided, however, this shall not apply where death is caused by a dog working or training as a hunting, herding, or predator control dog.”

The owner, within 15 days after the date on a notice of a determination of ownership of a "dangerous dog" has a right to request a hearing. The hearing shall be before the county animal control board — which must schedule the hearing within 30 days after the request was received.

If found to be “dangerous dogs,” the owner is subject to fines, according to the ordinance.

Mrs. Lackey said the couple bought Jacksen to help Mr. Lackey exercise an injury that had forced him to retire from a job as a machine operator.

“It was like part of his therapy,” she said. “The doctor said it would be a good idea to get a lightweight dog.”

She said they had lived in their neighborhood for 24 years and Mr. Lackey had walked Jacksen on the same route daily for 12 years without incident.

Mr. Lackey had developed such an attachment to Jacksen that he has had trouble sleeping since the incident, Mrs. Lackey said.

“It took a mental toll,” she said.

The Covington News was unable to reach Kirkpatrick for comment before its print deadline Tuesday morning.