The Taylor family lost sight of Ruka around 11 Thursday morning while she was playing in a relative's backyard.
“The guy that was next door said the dog had run off, that he’d kick the dog and the dog had run off,” said Chad Taylor.
Taylor said the neighbor claimed Ruka broke through the fence and got in a fight with his dog. The family quickly made 'lost dog' signs in hopes to bring her home.
“They were so close with her, literally like it was another child,” said Taylor.
Hours later before 3 p.m. the family walked around to the side of the home, and saw their worst fear come true.
“He said mom don’t look, and so I tried not to but I couldn't help it, it’s my baby, it’s our baby," said Crystal Taylor.
Ruka was found stabbed to death. That's when the family called the police who spoke with the neighbor who claimed he stabbed Ruka in self defense.
“He had gotten his dogs away form the other dog he said, went in the house, put those dogs up, grabbed his knife, went back outside and stabbed the dog and killed the dog,” said Chad Taylor.
The statement doesn't make sense to the Taylor family.
“She’s a really good dog, she listened, she was well behaved,” said Dominic Sutton, who is the oldest boy in the family.
The family continues to grieve, not knowing what to do about their loss.
“It’s really hard not knowing how to console your child,” said Crystal Taylor.
“It’s right before Christmas and it was like the greatest pet ever, it was the love of their life,” said Chad Taylor.
They filed a police report and still want answers to exactly what lef to Ruka's death, but for now they want things to get back to normal.
“I just want my kids to get better, I can’t have the dog back, so I just want my kids back.”
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