An Oakland woman is speaking out after her dog died following an attack by two other dogs near Lake Merritt on Oct. 23. For 12 years, Pepper was more than just a pet to Tomiquia Moss. She was family. “When your pet grows up with you, they teach you, they are at your every beck and call, they walk with you in the kitchen, they go to the bathroom with you,” Moss said. But a walk near Oakland’s Lakeside Park last Friday changed everything. “That presence is really difficult to have on a Friday morning. You’re walking your dog and then she’s gone,” she said. On Oct. 23, Moss says two large cane corsos ran towards Pepper and violently attacked her, leaving the dog with serious injuries. “They had her entire body, both dogs, shaking her body for at least three minutes before the man go there,” Moss said. Pepper later died from those injuries and Moss claims the dogs’ owner walked away without showing remorse. “This man who had these animals off leash, watched them maul my dog left the scene,” she said. After a witness shared news of the attack online, other dog owners came forward claiming similar encounters with what they believe were the same dogs. Oakland police and animal services confirm they’re investigating reported dog attacks at city parks but have not confirmed any connection between the incidents. Now Moss wants the owner to be held accountable. “I know that this person will be held accountable and there will be justice for Pepper,” she said. ...read more read less