Crystal and her dog Kody were out for a routine pre-dinner walk around the block Saturday, when an unsupervised German shepherd escaped its house and poorly secured driveway on Morton Place and ran towards them.
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"And I grabbed my dog up into my arms," Crystal said.
But the German shepherd, who was not leashed, bit her arm and then grabbed and yanked Kody right out of her arms and out of his harness.
"Ripped him right out. I heard my dog whimper, he hit the floor, and they started running," Crystal said.
She ran after them, but Kody was gone.
Now she's hanging putting posters of the fluffy, 8-year-old, 20-pound mixed-breed all over the neighborhood, and posting it in every online forum she can find.
She's even wearing the poster and is looking into every tip that's come in. She's pleading for his return, saying the sweet dog has brought her family so much joy since they adopted him last year.
"We saved Kody, and he means the world to us," Crystal said.
She says that when she confronted her attacker's owners, she says she was hurt and shaking.
"I was crying, I was nervous, I immediately started to yell at them," she said.
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She also called the police who took a report.
The owners apologized to Crystal. They said that this was an accident and that their dog escaped, and they would be willing to pay Kody's veterinary bills if he is found.
They declined to speak with Eyewitness News reporter Sonia Rincon on camera, saying that they feel bad, but that there's not much they can do now. Crystal says they could do something about their gate, because it could be a small child next time.
"If you're going to leave your dog outside, make sure your gate is properly secured, and theirs is not," she said.
The police have not filed any charges against them at this time.
One tipster spotted Kody near Bronx Community College, which makes sense because it's an area he's familiar with. There have been no reported sightings since Saturday and Crystal is getting more worried by the hour, hoping someone has taken him in.
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"Just please return him to us. Please. That's what we're asking for. He's a wonderful dog," Crystal said.
Kody is microchipped, and Home Again has been alerted.
Crystal says Kody responds to his name but is probably injured.
Kody had two previous owners, who both surrendered him to a shelter when they couldn't care for him.
Crystal's family adopted him in 2023 after Crystal's fiancé survived a kidney transplant.
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