Family is mourning the loss of their pug shitzu mix after a deadly attack by an off-leash dog while on a walk in a park

What was supposed to be an ordinary walk at a familiar neighborhood park turned into a scene this Littleton family says they will never forget.

In her report for FOX31 Denver, Hanna Powers stood just steps away from the spot at Ketring Park where the attack happened and pointed out something that makes the whole story even harder to hear: signs posted in the park make it clear, more than once, that dogs must be on a leash at all times.

According to Powers, that rule may have made all the difference here.

Instead, the Dill family says their 11-year-old pug-Shih Tzu mix, Ollie, was attacked by an off-leash dog during what had been part of their everyday routine. Ollie was rushed to a veterinarian, but the family says his injuries were too severe to survive.

It is an awful story, and one that hits especially hard because it was so avoidable.

A Daily Walk Ended In Horror

Hanna Powers reported that the attack happened during a walk at Ketring Park, a place Ollie’s family says was a regular part of their life.

Dan Dill, Ollie’s owner, described the attack in graphic and heartbreaking terms. In the interview shown by FOX31, he said the other dog “just ripped him apart” underneath him for what felt like five minutes while he screamed for help.

Dan told Powers that he tried to pull Ollie away by grabbing the leash. He said he managed to yank him free for a moment, but the attacking dog came back again. He described the animal’s mouth as so large that it covered Ollie’s whole body.

That detail is hard to read, and honestly, it should be. This was not a quick scuffle or a minor bite. It was a violent attack that unfolded in front of Ollie’s family in a place where they had every reason to expect a normal walk.

Powers said Littleton police confirmed that a pit bull mix involved in the attack was not on a leash.

The Injuries Were Too Severe

After the attack, Ollie was taken to the vet.

But as Dan Dill told Hanna Powers, the injuries were catastrophic. He said when he went to pick Ollie up, he saw two big tears on his back and could see his insides.

It is the kind of image that stays with a person.

The family’s grief in Powers’ report felt raw because it clearly had not been softened by time. This was not someone speaking in general terms about a sad event. This was a family still trying to understand how a simple walk ended with their dog suffering such horrifying injuries.

For pet owners, that fear is immediate and recognizable. A leash law can sound like a minor park rule until one moment like this shows exactly why it exists.

Ollie Was More Than A Pet

One of the saddest parts of Hanna Powers’ report was how clearly the family described Ollie as part of their everyday life.

Julie Dill told FOX31 that coming to Ketring Park was a daily ritual. Every day, she said, they came there to walk, and Ollie knew the routine so well that he would get excited before they even arrived. Two blocks away, she said, he already knew where they were going.

That kind of detail says everything.

Pets become woven into the structure of a household. They are there in the morning, in the quiet routines, in the little repeated moments that hardly seem important until they are gone. Julie said Ollie loved the smells in the park, and that walks took longer because he wanted to sniff everything.

That is such a familiar dog-owner detail that it makes the loss feel even heavier.

Dan told Powers that when they first got Ollie, “he picked us.” He said Ollie woke them up every morning with kisses and slept between him and his wife every day. Julie added that he even loved to travel and had gone with them to Las Vegas.

That was not just their dog. As Julie put it, that was their baby.

Their Grandson Saw It Happen

Powers also reported that the family’s grandson witnessed the attack.

That adds another painful layer to the story. It is one thing for adults to try to process a violent scene involving a family pet. It is something else when a child sees it happen too.

The report did not linger heavily on the grandson, but it did not need to. Just hearing that he was there tells you how much wider the trauma spreads in a moment like this.

A dog attack is not only about the physical damage done in those few minutes. It is also about the emotional fallout afterward. The fear, the replaying of it, the guilt, the anger, the constant thought that maybe one different decision by one different person could have prevented the whole thing.

That is why leash laws are not just technical ordinances. They are basic public safety rules, and this story is a harsh reminder of that.

Police Say The Other Dog Was Off Leash

According to Hanna Powers, Littleton police confirmed that the dog involved was not restrained, and the family said the owner left before officers arrived.

Police told FOX31 that the man has since been cited, and the dog involved has been quarantined.

Those are the official steps, but you can feel in the family’s interviews that none of that touches the center of what they lost. A citation and a quarantine may matter legally, but they do not bring Ollie back. They do not undo what happened in front of his owners and their grandson.

And that is part of what makes stories like this so painful. The consequences for breaking leash rules can be so much bigger than people imagine when they decide their dog does not need one “just this once.”

The Family’s Message Is Simple: Leash Your Dog

The strongest message in Powers’ report came from the family itself.

Julie Dill said they wanted to speak out so this never happens again. Her plea was direct: “Please leash your dog.”

That should not be a controversial message, but stories like this show why it still has to be said.

The family pointed out that Ketring Park is clearly marked as a leashed area. Powers emphasized that herself while standing near the signage during her report. The rule was visible. It was not hidden. It was not ambiguous. And if it had been followed, this tragedy may never have happened.

That is the part that leaves a knot in your stomach. Not every tragedy is preventable. This one may have been.

And when a simple safety rule is ignored, the cost can fall on someone else entirely.

They Plan To Honor Ollie At His Favorite Place

Hanna Powers closed her report with one final detail that was both painful and touching.

The family plans to hold a memorial service for Ollie at Ketring Park this Sunday. Even after what happened there, they chose that place because it was also one of his favorite places.

That feels heartbreaking in a very human way.

The same park that now holds the worst memory for them also holds years of ordinary, happy ones. The walks. The excitement. The smells. The routine. The small joy of opening the door and watching him hurry out because he knew exactly where he was going.

Julie said 11 years with a dog like Ollie makes them family. And that is true in a way people who love animals understand immediately. They become part of the house, the schedule, the vocabulary, the emotional center of everyday life.

So when the Dill family says Ollie was family, it does not sound like a figure of speech. It sounds like what he was.

And through Powers’ report, their warning comes through clearly too: leash laws are there for a reason, and when people ignore them, the damage can be permanent.