GONZALES - A dog owner is asking for accountability after two loose pit bulls attacked his dog while on a walk, leading to its death.

"I just want some accountability, somebody to be held responsible for it. I know some people are going to say, it's just a dog, but not to me," Gonzales resident Gene Austin Sr. said.

Austin was taking his dog Jake, a Shih Tzu/Yorkie mix who Austin says only weighs about 15 pounds, for a walk Sunday, May 25. 

"When I first saw him, they were coming out, they were running across this way toward us. So I start trying to pull Jake back in," Austin said. "They're not on their leash, it's my understanding they're not even from this neighborhood," He added.

Several neighbors on Coushatta Drive flagged down several Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office vehicles that were at the end of the street. Residents say they had been responding to a call down the street.

The deputies arrived and attempted to assist. One of the deputies was forced to shoot and kill one of the pit bulls. The other ran away.

Austin rushed Jake to the hospital, where Jake died about 45 minutes to an hour later.

Austin, who is 64, also had to go to the hospital for his health.

"Yeah my blood pressure shot up way, way high, and I ended up in the emergency room," Austin said.

Several residents told WBRZ that people in the neighborhood have been afraid to walk their dogs.

"There's definitely fear there. For the next couple of days, we didn't know whether the dog that had run off was still roaming the neighborhood," neighbor Rebekah Frederic said.

Austin says he didn't have time to stay and file a report as he was more focused on getting Jake some help. A neighbor did help give information to the deputy.

Frederic said they learned that the one pit bull did return home to its neighborhood and back to its owner. The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office said deputies are looking to identify the owner of the pit bull, who will face a charge of animal owner responsibilities.