Art Dixon loved cuddling with five-month-old Kiki, his five-pound toy poodle.

Despite her young age, the puppy was getting used to being at home, and would lie down with Dixon whenever he took a nap.

His wife Edie was the last person to cuddle with Kiki, Tuesday morning, as she held the small dog tightly after a walk on the Galloping Goose trail that ended tragically.

Edie left home, around 8:40 a.m., with Kiki and walked along the Goose toward Swan Lake. It was a stroll the pair took every morning.

Tuesday, like other mornings, Kiki visited with other leashed dogs along the way. But then two large dogs – one white and one black – came running down the trail without a leash, accompanied by two or three men.

"I thought they were friendly dogs. When I got close to the men they were talking about the cute dog (Kiki)," said Edie, recalling that the dogs sniffed each other playfully. Suddenly, the white dog lunged and attacked Kiki. "Her whole head was in its mouth when he first grabbed her."

Edie was able to get her puppy away from the white dog and pulled her close to her chest, but the dog jumped up and grabbed Kiki's abdomen.

"When it was happening, (the men) never said anything, never did anything," she said. "They stood there, then left."

When Edie was able to break Kiki free of the dog's grasp, she turned back toward home without a second thought.

"I was just thinking, 'I have to get home. I have to get her to the vet.' She didn't make it home."

Art was at home when Edie entered in a panic. He checked his dog for a pulse, but there was none.

"People have dogs like this that aren't manageable -- why aren't they on a damn leash like everyone else's?" he's left to wonder.

The couple, both in their 80s, don't want to see something like this happen to other dogs. But they realize there's only so much owners who leash their dogs can do to protect themselves and their pet when there are other owners who don't follow the rules.

The area where the attack took place does not allow dogs to be off leash, said Sgt. Julie Fast of the Saanich police.

Had the two large dogs been on a leash, Art and Edie both feel the incident wouldn't have happened, as the men would've been able to control the animals. And even if any of the men intervened after the first attack, the Dixons believe Kiki would still be alive.

"When (Edie) got the dog's head out, she wasn't too bad, she would've been saved. It was the second attack that did it," Art said.

The executive of Citizen Canine, an organization that advocates responsible dog ownership in Greater Victoria, agreed that the situation could've been controlled before it escalated had the dogs been on a leash.

"People need to be responsible for their animal. If they know their dogs are aggressive in any way, they should never let them off leash," Joanna Pettit said. "And it's very unlikely these people haven't seen that kind of aggressive behaviour before, since it was unprovoked."

Unfortunately, the onus falls on the irresponsible dog owners to make sure situations like this aren't regular occurrences, Pettit said.

The Dixons would like to see the dog’s owner fined and the proper steps taken to ensure the dog doesn't attack someone else’s pet.

"We'd like to catch that dog and get him off the street," said Art.

Saanich pound investigators are investigating the incident, Fast said, noting the owners of the dog that attacked could be fined. The dog could also be designated as dangerous or even destroyed.

"If we find out it's attacked before, if it's been aggressive, then we would probably seize the dog and seek a destruction order through the courts," said Susan Ryan, Saanich pound inspector.

But she said most first incidents result in a dog being deemed dangerous, resulting in rules that owners need to follow, including posting dangerous dog signs, housing the animal indoors or in a completely enclosed pen with a roof, and keeping the dog leashed and muzzled whenever it's outdoors.

The Saanich pound currently oversees 40 dangerous dogs in the municipality.

There will be one more dog added to that list, if the Dixons had their way.

"I'm sure it'll attack a second little dog or a child," said Edie. "I don't want to see that happen again."

The dog that attacked Kiki is described as large with white fur, possibly a Labrador. The second large dog is described as having black fur with white markings, possibly a collie. No descriptions of the men have been released.

Anyone familiar with the dogs or their owners is asked to contact Saanich police at 250-475-4321 Ext. 4360.

Keep your pet safe

Joanna Pettit, executive of Citizen Canine, says there are a few ways to protect your dog from unprovoked attacks:

• Don't make assumptions – A lot of dogs just want to play, but don't assume that it does. Check with the owner.

• Step aside – If an off-leash dog is coming towards you and your dog, move off the trail and block your dog from the other.

• Learn the language – A dogs' body language – up or down ears, the tail actions – can help you better predict the dog's reaction.

• Speak up – Especially in leashed areas, yell to the owner to call their dog back.