Dog's Death Sparks Questions

There were, however, no witnesses to the attack.

Questions of exactly what occurred and why have baffled Cain andneighbors. But talk from area youngsters is that a new neighbor's childand dog are responsible.

The children said another child had been bragging that he had trainedhis pit bull to attack anything at his command, and that he had orderedhis dog to attack the lab.

Cain kept his dog in a fenced yard, and found out from neighbors onlyafter she disappeared that she had devised a daily routine of jumping thefence but hopping back in before he returned from work. Cain surmisesthat it was during one of those outings that she was killed.

Gone for three days, the dog was discovered in a nearby wooded areawith severe wounds to various parts of its body.

Animal control officers said without a witness, they cannot doanything about the allegations. Cain said he is circulating a petition toget the pit bull removed from the neighborhood and plans to use theinformation gathered from neighbors to file a civil lawsuit against thedog's owner.

Sanford has a leash law, but someone has to witness the dog wanderingoff a leash or see an attack for animal control officers to step in.

Parents say that given the lab's size -- it weighed 105 pounds -- theyare now concerned for the safety of their young children.