Family of Killed Pug Speaks Out

By Jon Jordan, NEWS 9

MUSTANG, Oklahoma -- A pug is killed in her own backyard and the person believed responsible is an Oklahoma Natural Gas worker.

Now, the family hopes ONG takes tough action against the worker.

Many animal lovers who have heard are upset because they think the ONG worker is lying and that's because, according to police, the worker claims the family's dog was trying to bite him and he was only trying to defend himself. It's a story people say they could believe if the dog wasn't a 16 pound, nearly blind, pug.

"She's part of our family," said the pug's owner, Cindi Holderbee. "We had her all of her life."

It's why Holderbee has been heart-broken ever since she found her pug, Mimi, dead in her backyard, lying in a puddle of blood.

"I approached her and saw her little body lying there and flipped her over because I noticed there was blood and noticed she had a big gash on the side of her head," Holderbee said.

Holderbee immediately called Mustang police who were able to track down the ONG worker who had left the family's house just moments before.

"The basics on the worker is that he was being attacked by the animal," Mustang Police Capt. Willard James said.

That story is something Holderbee says doesn't seem possible.

"She's probably better out of the three [dogs] as far as playing with the kids non-stop, but she's always been a good dog," said Holderbee. "I've never known her to be mean."

The incident has enraged animal lovers who have created an online petition to get the worker fired, an incident ONG admits should never have happened.

"The training we give our employees is to avoid confrontation with animals and if confronted and you're in a position that could endanger you in some fashion you are told to retreat," ONG Spokesperson Don Sherry said.

It was training the Holderbee's wish the worker would have used.

"It was hard, you know, just not knowing if she has suffered or, you know, how long she was there," said Holderbee. "It couldn't have been too long, but it was hard seeing her like that."

Holderbee says the hardest part of what happened is knowing her 8-year-old son is who first found their dog.

The family says they're considering legal action against the worker and ONG.

When asked if there were any bite marks on the worker, police would only say the case is still under investigation.

More: ONG Worker Kills Family Pet, Animal Lovers Call for Firing