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Girl Heartbroken After Rockland County Sheriff's K9 Kills Family Dog

NEW CITY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A dog trained to work with the Rockland County Sheriff's Office attacked and fatally wounded a family pet without provocation.

As CBS2's Ali Bauman reported, Ginger the Cavapoo was barely 10-lbs soaking wet. She was no match for a German shepherd trained with the Rockland County Sheriff's Office who lives with a detective in the neighborhood.

"She was my best friend," Kristine Forde said.

Forde, 13, was getting ready for school around 7 a.m. Tuesday. Her father had left for work and the nanny took Ginger for a walk to Grand Street in New City.

"She turned around, saw the dog coming at them, and then she did the best she could to prepare," Tom Forde said.

Detective Dwayne Defino pried him off, brought the bloodied Ginger home and Kristina called her father who works an hour away.

"At this point the dog still showed signs of life," Tom said.

Forde said his nanny does not have a car or driver's license to bring the dog to the hospital herself. She told him after the attack that the officer put Ginger in his car and waited outside Forde's home.

"I pull up and the dog was in the back, the gentleman's car and he stated to me, 'I don't think the dog's going to make it," Forde said, "And I said, 'what is the dog still doing here? Why aren't you at the hospital?"

"The detective knew the dog had passed n and was going to return the dog home," Chief William Barbera said.

Forde argued the detective wasted too much time waiting around while Ginger was bleeding out in the back.

"Whether the dog would've made it or not I don't know, but I find it disheartening maybe an hour went by before anything was done," Forde said.

"It's just really sad," Kristina added.

The sheriff's office called the K9's behavior 'out of character' but is investigating to see if his owner acted correctly. They said the dog is an arson canine and not trained to attack.

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